


What's Best For Fuu

by SoulRaider116



Series: Samurai Champloo Family Trilogy [1]
Category: Samurai Champloo
Genre: F/M, Fuugen, Jino - Freeform, Post-Series, Trilogy part 1, four years later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-08-08 03:46:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 59,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7742122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoulRaider116/pseuds/SoulRaider116
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s been four years since the search for the sunflower samurai came to an end. Four years since Fuu had last seen her bodyguards. She thought she could move on, she even found someone she cared for. But what happens when a certain chaotic swordsman comes back into her life?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unexpected Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> Note 1: This is my first attempt at a SamCham fic. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Note 2: This story will be part one of a planned trilogy.

It was a warm day in Edo, a haze seemed to hang in the air outside of the tea house where the waitress was working. She wasn’t good at predicting the weather, not in the slightest, but even she could tell it was going to rain. Large brown eyes seemed to gaze beyond the curtain that hung over the entrance, past the crowds that bustled along street, into some distant memory. It was if the world around her vanished and she was left with a vision of the past. But anymore, she wasn’t sure how much of her memory was real, and how much was fantasy.

The journey had happened, she knew that much. The samurai, the pirate, they were real. But those steely cold eyes, the confident smirk, the way the wind ruffled through wild, dark hair...was that what he had really looked like? Or was she simply romanticizing him? Had her heart ever pounding in her chest at the thought of him when they traveled together? Or was it merely the after effect of being so long without him? Her eyes drifted shut, and she sighed.

It had been four years, hadn’t it? Since they parted ways on that path, since they’d last seen each other. The skinny girl, who had been fifteen when their journey began, and sixteen when it ended, had blossomed into womanhood. At least, she liked to think so. True, her form wasn’t as voluptuous as the women he’d preferred during their trip. But she couldn’t be called a flat plank any more, either. She had the curves that came with maturity. And she carried herself with a touch more grace than she had as a teenager. She was twenty now, the same age he had been when they had parted, and she couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing. How much might the rogue have changed? Where was he? Was he safe, at least?

At least the samurai who had served as her other bodyguard had been in contact with her. True, they hadn’t seen each other since parting ways. But she’d had a hunch of where he might end up, and it had turned out to be true! So, she had been able to find him, at least. But where did one find the wandering soul that she longed so to see again?

“-chan?” Something was cutting into her thoughts. A voice. It was familiar, strong yet soft, masculine, but tender, “Fuu-chan? Hey, are you alright? Earth to Fuu-chan!”

That was right. There was someone here, in the tea house, a customer that she was meant to be tending to. A regular who had apparently started frequenting the establishment only after her employment had begun. Someone who was sweet, kind and gentle. Nothing like that jerk that she had been wondering about. What was that idiot swordsman doing in her mind anyway? Opening her eyes, the waitress smiled at the young man who sat before her, “Sorry, Gijouhei-san. I guess I was day dreaming again. What can I get you?”

The young man smiled gently at her, shaking his head in amusement, a dark black ponytail shifting against his shoulders as he moved. “It’s Hiroshi, or Hiroshi-kun, if you wish to be more formal. We’ve known each other for a few years now, we’ve even been out together a couple times. You should know you can be more relaxed with me, by now.”

“Sorry, Hiroshi-kun...” She blushed slightly as he mentioned the few dates they’d been on. Hiroshi was about two years older than Fuu, and he somehow reminded her a bit of Jin. He wasn’t as quiet, or as formal as the samurai who had served as her bodyguard. But he had that same honorable quality.

“It’s alright, I just don’t like it when you act so distant.” His deep brown eyes skimmed over her as she clutched her serving tray to her chest, that blush still on her features, “You were thinking about that trip again, weren’t you?”

Fuu blinked wide eyed at his accurate guess. He knew her so well, and sometimes it scared her. Sometimes, the waitress wondered why she had ever bothered to mention Mugen and Jin to him, or anyone else. That was in her past. This was her present. Jin had moved on and started a life of his own, and Mugen was somewhere, probably getting drunk or in a brothel. The woman couldn’t help but sense a tinge of disappointment coming from her friend as her reaction seemed to confirm his suspicions.

“If he wanted to find you, he would have.” Hiroshi remarked, turning his face to the side to try and disguise his disgust as he spoke of the rogue she often told him about, “You gave him plenty of time to find you in that little village near where you separated...”

“What?” Fuu blushed brighter, turning her own face away to hide the change in color, “I don’t care if he finds me or not! It’s been four years, why should I care about that jerk! I just stayed there for awhile because I wasn’t sure where else to go, I told you that!”

Her protests earned a small smile and a laugh from the young man at the table, and she snapped around to face him with a pout that didn’t really fit her more mature features as she spoke to him, “What’s so funny?”

“Sorry! Sorry, Fuu-chan.” He smiled brightly at the waitress, “I just...the way you talk about him sometimes, I always thought...I guess I shouldn’t be jealous of a memory, though, hmm?”

Again, Fuu blushed at his words. Jealous? He was jealous of Mugen? “Why on earth would you be jealous anyway?”

It was Hiroshi’s turn to blink in surprise. Did she not realize how he felt about her? He’d asked her out any chance he got when she first got to Edo. And when she finally gave in after over a year of his pestering, he thought she at least understood that he liked her. Since then their dates had been few and far between because of their varying schedules, but he made sure to stop in the tea house any chance he got in order to make sure he could visit with her, “Fuu-chan...”

He sounded hurt, she thought. Why did he sound like that? And why was he looking at her with such confusion, as though she had missed something entirely? Her low, loose bun flopped against the nape of her neck as she tilted her head to the side, “What?”

The young man lifted a hand to his forehead and sighed, “You really don’t know? You...you really can’t see how much I like you, can you?”

Fuu’s eyes flew wide at this statement. Her mind flashed to all the times in the past that Mugen had told her no man would ever find her appealing. It must have given her some kind of complex, because never in a million years would she have thought that Hiroshi actually, “Wait...you mean...like-like?”

Again Hiroshi nodded, looking away. She was going to reject him, wasn’t she? What did she think he’d been asking her out for? Did she really think they were just friendly outings? His cheeks burned brightly as he waited for her to process the information, mumbling one more thing under his breath, unsure of if she’d hear or not, “I...think it might even be love...”  
A small squeak escaped from the waitress as she dropped her tray with a clatter. Fortunately the wooden platter was empty at the moment. Her hands lifted to her mouth, and from the look of utter shock, Hiroshi could tell she’d heard him. He looked at her from the corner of his gaze as her cheeks went pink. From behind her hands Fuu let out a disbelieving response, “R-really? Did you really...you did say...l-love?”

That wasn’t the reaction that the handsome young man had been expecting. He had thought she’d either reject or accept him, but she seemed to be in utter shock over the fact that someone was attracted to her. Turning to look at her, he smiled and nodded, “That’s what I said. Fuu-chan...you don’t know how amazing you are, do you? Those men you traveled with...they didn’t realize how lucky they had it, or they would never have let you get away.”

The waitress dropped her hands, leaning down to pick up her tray as she tried to think up a response that didn’t make her sound completely pathetic and lacking in confidence. Hiroshi reached down at the same time, perhaps to pick up the tray, or perhaps just using it as an excuse for their hands to brush against one another. When their fingers gently touched, Fuu went to pull away, and Hiroshi took hold of her hand before she had the chance. When the brunette looked up at him, she found that their eyes met. The way the young man was looking at her made her blush brightly, her heart seemed to skip a beat, “H-hiroshi...kun...”

He shifted his hand against hers, twining their fingers together as he tried to pull the server closer, “What?”

She moved to drop her face aside, and as she did, she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye, something familiar. But no, it couldn’t have been. Fuu didn’t have much time to contemplate it as Hiroshi’s free hand, strong but gentle, guided her to look at him once more. With a blink she realized his face was closer than it had been before. Her face grew brighter.

Hiroshi enjoyed that blush, it was cute, just one of many things that made the woman desirable. He locked eyes with her a moment longer, waiting to see if she would build on her mention of his name earlier. When she said nothing, he closed the last of the space between them, pressing his lips to Fuu’s for what seemed like several long moments before pulling away, “I won’t make the same mistake they did...marry me.”


	2. Familiar Faces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, chapter 2. I'll try to get more up later.

He’d lost track of time. He didn’t really care anyway. Who cared what happened to them, or how long they had been apart? Four-eyes could take care of himself; now her...she was a different story. She was helpless, and hopeless. She was probably dead by now. For some reason there was a lurch in his stomach as the rogue thought of her possible fate, “Well shit, guess I’m hungry.”

That was his line of reasoning as he made his way into the city of Edo, looking for a place to get a decent meal and a drink. He didn’t have much money, well, he’d have to pull a dine and dash, he supposed. Wouldn’t be the first time. Dark eyed drifted skyward, to the clouds drifting overhead. It was going to rain, but he didn’t need an overcast sky to tell him that. He’d smelled it on the air days ago. “Better find someplace before it starts...”

Finding a cheaper looking tea house, the criminal made his way toward it. Pushing his way in past the curtain, he glanced around, spotting a waitress in a pink kimono. For a moment, he paused, but on second glance, it couldn’t be her. This waitress had curves, not the sexiest curves, but at least she wasn’t a plank. And rather than a bun held up by chopsticks, her brown hair was in a loose bun that settled at the nape of her neck. He ran a hand through his dark, unruly locks as he proceeded to a table in the back of the establishment. 

Damn, that waitress sure was slow. He lofted a brow as he glanced back toward the table near the door, seeing the customer she had been chatting with upon his entrance kissing her, then murmuring something that left the woman in shock. Apparently the idiot broad hadn’t even realized that the guy had liked her enough to kiss her, given her reaction. Her murmured reply was a little louder that the quiet statement that had eluded his ears. The voice sounded slightly familiar.

“M-marry?” From the shift in the woman’s stance, he could tell she was uncertain. A soft huff of laughter escaped from tanned lips. What a chump that guy was! He wanted a ball and chain, and the girl he was asking didn’t even know ahead of time how he felt! Well, screw that!

The well dressed man who had just proposed looked past the waitress, suddenly seeming a bit concerned by the sight of the rogue. Odd. The blue rings around tanned wrists and ankles often had turned people away even before his abrasive personality could, but the former pirate couldn’t help notice that the concerned glance shifted between him, and the girl who still hadn’t responded to the suggestion of marriage.

“You...you don’t have to respond right away...” The pretty boy said with a sigh, trying to remain quiet, though his nerves made him loud enough that he could be heard from where the criminal sat, “I know I asked suddenly...take time to think it over. I just...”

“Oi!” The gruff voice of the wild haired man finally slipped past rough lips, “Lovebirds, hate to interrupt, but what’s a guy gotta do to get some-“

He blinked his steely gaze as the waitress turned in stunned silence to stare at him, the sentence left hanging in the air. There was no mistaking those big old doe eyes, or the look of surprised recognition that they held. There was only one person he knew with those eyes, “Well fuck...you grew some, didn’t you, girly?”

It wasn’t really happening. Was it? Fuu blinked a couple times, just to make certain that her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her, “M-mugen?”

Hiroshi’s face shifted into a scowl as his suspicions were confirmed. He thought the rogue had looked similar to the one described in Fuu’s stories about her journey four years ago. The young man stood and moved to the waitress’ side, eyes sweeping over the new arrival, resisting the urge to put an arm around Fuu, to claim her as his own so that the pirate wouldn’t get any ideas about rekindling an old fling, or whatever they had had.

“In the flesh, girly.” Mugen replied with a smirk, leaning back in his seat and folding his arms behind his head. He couldn’t help letting his dark eyes slide over his old traveling companion’s figure. She didn’t have much to brag about, but she at least had something to look at now. A brow lofted as his glance shifted to the man at her side, who’s deep brown eyes had narrowed into a harsh glare, “So, who’s the pretty boy?”

The woman blinked, coming out of her trance like stare at her bodyguard and looking quickly to her side to notice that the man who had just proposed to her was standing there. For a moment, she couldn’t recall his name. How embarrassing, considering what had just happened! It...it had to be the shock, that was the only explaination, “Um...h-he’s...Hiroshi-kun!”

The name came out in practically a shout as her memory was jogged as the man beside her gripped her arm, not gently, but not tightly enough to hurt either. Her large brown eyes turned to him, seeing the hard look he was giving to Mugen. It worried her, she’d never seen such a look on Hiroshi’s gentle face. And Mugen was just making things worse by smirking back.

Behind the smirk, though neither of the other’s knew it, Mugen was angry. He didn’t know why he was angry, which just made him more angry! He didn’t want it to show though. Fuu might take it the wrong way, and he couldn’t have that happening, “So, getting married, Girly?”

“She has a name.” Hiroshi spoke coldly, never taking his eyes off Mugen, nor his hand from Fuu’s arm.

“Tch, I know she does, Pretty Boy, but that don’t mean I got to call her by it!” The ruffian had never called Fuu by name, and he certainly wasn’t going to start now. Why should he? She was no one special to him.

“I have a name too! And you will use it. I am Gijouhei Hiroshi, Gijouhei –san to you.” As Hiroshi finished speaking, it was Mugen’s turn to narrow his eyes. He gave the smug brat a good once over, and began to figure out why the kid immediately bugged him. That long, dark black pony tail. His posture. Even the clothes he wore. Give the pretty boy a pair of glasses, and he could be four-eyes.

“You know, you really piss me off.” The former pirate said, “And I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking to the bitch you proposed to.”

At the use of such a word to refer to his beloved Fuu, Hiroshi moved to take a step toward Mugen, releasing his grip on Fuu, only to find her small hands wrapped around his wrist. The man looked back at her, “Did you hear what he just called you? I’m not letting him talk to you like that!”

Fuu looked at the ground, and it was hard to tell if she was more worried or pained. Her tone was soft as she replied, “He always says things like that, Hiroshi-kun...it’s just how he is. I...you can’t fight him. He won’t hold back if you do, and you’ll get killed.”

“Killed?” Hiroshi scoffed and turned his gaze onto Mugen, giving him a once over before turning back to the waitress, “I am the son of one of the Shogunate’s best samurai! I think I know how to fight a criminal!”

Fuu shook her head, still looking down, “No, you can’t beat him...I’ve seen him fight, Hiroshi-kun.”

There was definite worry in her voice, and sadness in her eyes. The woman didn’t want to see someone she cared about get hurt. And she didn’t want Mugen to get in trouble for killing him! 

“Oi, girly!” Mugen interrupted her thoughts, both she and Hiroshi looking at him, “You getting married or not?”

“I...” She spoke quickly before Hiroshi could start another argument over the lack of use of her name, but then found she wasn’t sure how to reply. Why did Mugen care? Why was he even here? Had he come looking for her? Her heart fluttered slightly, “Why are you here?”

“I asked my question first, so I ain’t answering ‘til you do.” The pirate replied stubbornly, crossing his arms behind his head and turning away. Why did she even care what he was doing here? It was none of her business! Was she trying to say she didn’t want him here or something? Where did that bitch get off dismissing him like that! Not that he even cared.

“Mugen, now you’re just being childish!” Fuu scolded, hands on her hips, “Just tell me what you’re doing here!”

“Hmm...nah, don’t feel like it.” The rogue retorted in, not bothering to look back at Fuu, or Hiroshi who was by now just looking at him and seething. The young samurai son wouldn’t challenge the man though, if only for Fuu’s sake.

“Mugen!” There was definitely anger in the waitress’ voice as she hissed out the swordsman’s name. There was no reply, the vagrant simply cleaning his ear with his pinky like he hadn’t even heard her, “Alright, fine. Yes, Mugen.”

Suddenly her former body guard and the man who had proposed to her turned to look at her with surprise. Hiroshi hadn’t been expecting a reply this quickly, and Mugen, well, he wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but certainly not this. The former bodyguard lofted a brow, “Say wha’?”

Fuu wasn’t sure why she had said that, but it had been said. Maybe she had been trying to get a reaction from Mugen, which wasn’t fair to Hiroshi, so she really hoped that wasn’t why she had agreed to the marriage. Either way, Mugen didn’t seem interested, he wasn’t here for her, or he probably would have told her so. So, why shouldn’t she marry the handsome, gentle, caring man who had proposed? She stood resolutely with hands on her hips, “I said, yes, Mugen. I am getting married.”

The waitress turned toward a still stunned Hiroshi, smiling at him, “I would love nothing better than to be your wife.”

Hiroshi ‘s stunned expression turned into a giddy grin as he turned back toward the girl he loved, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against him, and kissing her in celebration. Neither noticed the agitated twitch of Mugen’s eyebrow as he stood to leave, his footsteps muffled by the soft cheers of the rest of the patrons, who had been hoping Fuu would agree to the offer of marriage. Fuu blushed at the fact that she and Hiroshi had an audience.

When the kiss broke, Fuu saw the pirate heading for the exit, “Mugen?”

Trying his best to look calm and lazy as usual, the rogue paused as he pushed aside the curtain that hung over the entrance, “Yeah, what do you want, Girly?”

“Weren’t you wanting to order something?” She was still in her fiance’s arms, and Mugen didn’t even bother to turn and look at them.

“Nah, lost my appetite.” He mumbled, stepping out into the streets, where the rain had begun to pour down, and vanishing amid the crowd.

Fuu blinked at his strange behavior. Nothing made Mugen lose his appetite. He was almost always hungry, much like herself. Her brow crinkled into a frown, “What’s his problem?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Hiroshi shrugged, smiling at his bride to be, “Come, I want you to meet my father, and we can discuss the marriage.”

Brown eyes widened as the waitress looked at Hiroshi, “That’s right, I haven’t even met your family yet! Oh, but...you’re the son of a great samurai...and...and...”

“And you are the daughter of a samurai. Just because he was a...Christian...” He sounded the word with disgust, quiet so as not to be heard by too many, “Does not mean that should reflect on you.”

Fuu dropped her gaze and smiled slightly. She didn’t understand why her father had become a Christian and abandoned his family. But, he had done what he had thought was right. And she couldn’t hate him, or his religion. Her chin was gently tipped up by her betrothed’s gentle fingers.

“Fuu,” He left off the honorific, which earned a slight blush, “My family will love you as much as I do. If not, then I will still marry you. I do not need their approval to make my decisions.”

“Well, I can’t leave yet! I’m not off until-“ She was cut off by a loud, throat clearing cough by her employer, who waved her toward the door.

“This is a happy occasion, Fuu-chan! Go, celebrate!” The older woman said with a smile, “I can handle things here myself.”

Still Fuu hesitated, but after a moment, she gave a nod, and followed her fiancé out the door, which he guided her towards by his gentle grip on her hand.


	3. Hiroshi's Family

* * *

 

An umbrella was held firmly in Hiroshi’s grasp, guarding himself and his new fiance from the downpour as they walked along the muddied streets of Edo, the young man’s other hand wrapped gently around Fuu’s. There was a strange silence between them, and it did not escape the man’s notice as he guided his betrothed toward the home he shared with his parents, “You’re being rather quiet, Fuu-chan…is everything alright?”

 

The waitress blinked and looked up at the dark eyes that peered toward her curiously. She could tell he was still concerned over their encounter with Mugen, the roguish jerk who had unwittingly walked in on the proposal. A slight, reassuring smile was cast up toward her intended as she offered a small squeeze to his hand, “I’m fine. Just a bit nervous, I suppose. What if your family doesn’t approve?”

 

A warm smile spread over the features of the samurai’s son, “They will. And I already told you, even if they do not I still plan to marry you. My family’s blessing would be nice, but their approval is not required.”

 

The mere fact that she had someone who wished to marry her was still a shock to Fuu. Mugen had always said no man would want her. And even though she had been kidnapped several times during her travels with her bodyguards, his words had struck a chord with her. Of course, she knew that even if Mugen had wanted her, he wasn’t the sort to marry anyhow. And she was a girl with principles! She wasn’t going to let just anyone have her, she would only lay with her husband. Why was she even thinking such things where Mugen was involved? He was a crass, brutal jackass of a man; and she had no desire to be with him anyway! Maybe she had hoped to one day see him again, if only to be sure he was okay, but now she had a man who could provide for her, who loved her. Of course...the chaotic swordslinger had saved her too many times to keep track of. Still, that had only been out of obligation, and had nothing to do with genuinely caring for the pink clad waitress. A soft sigh slipped past her lips as she glanced at her intended, “Hiroshi-kun?”

 

A glance was cast her way as they drew continually nearer to his home. He smiled reassuringly, wanting to make it known that she had no reason to be nervous, “What is it, Fuu-chan?”

 

“Umm...wh-why do you want to...you know...marry me?” The brunette’s gaze dropped to stare at her feet as she walked at his side. She wanted to stop moving forward, out of embarrassment at the stupidity of her own inquiry. What kind of woman really worried about things like that? What was important was that someone did want to marry her, she shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, “Gomen...it’s a silly question…”

 

“Does that man have something to do with this?” Hiroshi gripped her hand a bit tighter as he noticed how self conscious his beloved seemed at the moment. He was sure it was that vagrant’s fault, after hearing the way the older man had spoken to the waitress. Her lack of response, and the continued aversion of her gaze only confirmed his suspicions, “Fuu-chan, you can’t take anything that man says seriously...he clearly doesn’t know when he has something wonderful…”

 

More silence stretched between them as the samurai’s son waited for a response. She seemed so full of self doubt now. And this angered Hiroshi as much as any of the disrespect he’d been shown by the criminal at the tea house. Finally the couple arrived at a large estate, in front of which the man stopped his betrothed, and guided her through the front gate. Looking up at last, her gaze did not meet his, but rather lingered on the home. It was beautiful, more elegant than anything she had ever seen.

 

Over the porch in front of the house hung an awning, which the pair stopped under as the man lowered his umbrella, setting it against the outer wall of the building. He made no effort to lead her inside yet, instead turning her gently to face him. The waitress looked down once more, only to have her chin lifted tenderly by his hand, “Fuu-chan, you asked me why I wish to marry you. I don’t know what nonsense this vagrant put in your mind that makes you think any man would want anything less! You are beautiful, kind, generous and gentle. You’re hardworking and determined. You’re clever and you are resourceful. There’s nothing about you not to love, as far as I can see.”

 

Fuu blushed, that pink tint steadily growing darker as he flooded her with compliments that she was so unused to. Such a contrast from what Mugen had always told her. All that idiot had ever done was to hurl insults at her. No wonder her self esteem had suffered. Tears began to brim in her eyes as she gaze up at her intended, whose hand finally slipped from her chin to her shoulder as he looked lovingly into her doe soft eyes, “Don’t cry, Fuu-chan! You act as though you’ve never had a compliment before!”

 

A small hand lifted to scrub tears from her eyes as Fuu tried to follow his advice and not cry. She couldn’t meet his family with swollen red eyes, after all, “I...n-not for a very long time...H-hiroshi-kun.”

 

She hadn’t been honestly complemented by a man she could trust in ages. And it felt strange to be praised for her positive attributes instead of insulted or tricked. Suddenly Hiroshi’s strong arms were around her, holding her close and he murmured into her ear, letting her face press into his shoulder for comfort, “Well...you had better get used to hearing compliments more often then…”

 

The girl returned his embrace, her hands gripping the back of his clothes as she nodded against his shoulder, breathing deeply to calm herself. He smelled so clean. Not at all like Mugen who, when she had the rare chance to be close enough to catch a scent, she seemed to remember smelling of the sea and blood. This man before her now was innocent, compared to her former bodyguard. But perhaps that was a good thing.

 

Finally the ponytailed man held his fiance at arm’s length and smiled reassuringly at her, “Are you alright, now? Because we should go in…”

 

Returning his smile to the best of her ability, Fuu offered another nod, “Of course, I’m fine. Arigato. I look forward to meeting your family.”

If they had raised such a wonderful son, then the family residing within the building couldn’t be that bad, could they?

 

* * *

 

After having stalked out of the tea house, Mugen had gotten swept away in the bustling crowds of Edo. It was pouring, and he was soaked. Yet for some reason, he wasn’t entirely bothered by it. It wasn’t until he sneezed that he realized standing outside in the pouring rain might not be the brightest thing he’d ever done. Not that anyone had ever accused him of being smart. The rogue stepped under the awning in front of a shop, not even paying attention to what it sold. It didn’t matter anyway.

 

“Do you want an umbrella, sir?” A voice came from inside the store, “It’s one of the many things we sell, and in this downpour, you could certainly-”

 

Mugen cut him off harshly, “Do I look like a fucking umbrella’s gonna help? I’m drenched already! So shut the fuck up!”

 

Quickly the elderly man who had been trying to sell Mugen his wares disappeared back into the shop. As the criminal lounged under the awning, no one daring to tell him he shouldn’t loiter after his outburst earlier, he heard an aggravatingly familiar voice speaking a name he knew well.

 

“Fuu-chan…” He stepped back into the shadow of the building to avoid being seen as the pair strolled by, holding an umbrella and getting all cozy holding hands. A sneer flitted across the pirate’s features. Stupid lovey dovey crap! He only picked up pieces of what was said as they made their way by in the pouring rain, “That man...seriously...he doesn't…has...”

 

What the hell? Were they talking about him? Or was there some other guy in town that this chump was worried about getting in the way of their precious little engagement. Mugen reached into the store and grabbed an umbrella from near the door, not paying any attention as the old man once again grew bold enough to address him, “Sir, you have to pay for that!”

 

Opening the umbrella, the vagrant stepped back out into the rain. Yes, he was too soaked for the covering to do any good, but at least it would hopefully shield him somewhat from view so he could eavesdrop on the loving couple. What gave those two the right to talk shit about him anyway? At least, he assumed they were talking shit. Granted, he hadn’t heard the whole conversation. Dammit! Now he was curious!

 

He fell into step a few paces behind the pair, listening for their voices over the pouring rain and the murmur of the crowd. But they were silent for the rest of the walk, until the reached a large, walled in property. The pretty boy guided her through the gate, and Mugen skillfully scaled a tree outside to try spying some more. He couldn’t hear them from where they were standing on the porch of the estate, but he could see them, even if they were slightly obscured by the awning.

 

He couldn’t make out Fuu’s expression from where he perched in the tree, but he did notice her eventually raising her hand to rub at her eyes. That damn bastard had made her cry! The swordsman felt like dropping from the tree to the other side of the wall and killing that pretty boy punk! Before he had a chance to move, though, the prick had Fuu in an embrace, and the pink clad girl was returning the gesture! She even seemed to be grabbing hold of the bratty boy like she was afraid he’d leave.

 

Mugen was still fuming when the pair disappeared into the large home. What pissed him off more than what he’d just seen was the very fact that what he’d witnessed pissed him off to begin with! Why the fuck should he give a damn what Fuu did?

 

* * *

 

“Hiroshi?” A female voice called from a room off the hall as Fuu was guided into the the house by her betrothed, “Is that you, dear?”

 

An older woman walked out of the side room, elegant and poised in a powder blue kimono that seemed to compliment her greying hair, which was pulled up in a bun. Dark but gentle eyes swept over Fuu’s appearance, then looked to the man at her side, “Hiroshi, you brought a guest?”

 

“Hai, Okaa-san,” Hiroshi responded, smiling at the woman as he turned to look at the nervous waitress next to him, “This is Fuu-chan. Is Otou-san home? I have something very important to discuss with both of you.”

 

A silvered brow lofted as his mother looked at him, then at the woman he had just introduced, “Important you say? I suppose this girl has something to do with the important discussion you wish to have?”

 

“I would rather talk about it when we are all together. Over dinner, which smells lovely, by the way.” The man smiled at his maternal figure as he bent to remove his shoes, prompting Fuu to do the same. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t done so as soon as she had entered the home! Where were her manners?

 

After removing her shoes, the girl in the pink kimono bowed deeply to the mother of her intended, trying not to give away the situation, since it seemed clear Hiroshi would rather explain it himself, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

 

The gentle look in the older woman’s eyes turned skeptical, and she did not return the gesture of greeting, turning quickly to depart and ignoring the pleasantries offered by the waitress, “I’ll get him, Hiroshi. I do believe he’s in his study.”

 

Standing straight, Fuu looked at Hiroshi, worried she’d done something to offend his mother. The young man just sighed and shook his head, “This may be more difficult than I thought…”

 

“Hiroshi!” A deep voice bellowed from further down the hall as a tall, broad shouldered man with silvering hair tied in a topknot came striding toward the pair, the woman from earlier following close behind, “You’ve been gone all day, I was starting to wonder where you’d run off to. Now, your Okaa-san says you wish to speak?”

 

“Hai, Otou-san.” Hiroshi spoke with great respect to the samurai that was his father, “But first, allow me to introduce Fuu-chan.”

 

The older man followed his son’s gesture and looked upon the pink clad woman standing in the entryway, “Well, are you going to stand there, Fuu-chan, or are you going to join us for supper?”

 

It seemed his father was more accepting of having strangers brought home for dinner. Fuu smiled and nodded at his offer, moving further into the house as Hiroshi rested his hand upon the small of her back and guided her toward the dining room. Already the table was set, though there wasn’t a place for her. It was full of lavish foods, just looking at which made her mouth water. She would have to control her appetite, for once, lest she make a poor impression.

 

Hiroshi’s father waved over a servant and requested that a place be set for their guest. It didn’t take long before the extra setting were in place, and the family and their guest were seated around the table. Fuu’s eyes were wide as she looked at all the delicious choices. The samurai head of the house smiled at her, “Help yourself, Fuu-chan. Now, Hiroshi, what was it you wished to speak about?”

 

Fuu began to load her dish with a little of everything. She wanted to sample it all, but not make a hog of herself. Hiroshi’s mother kept a close eye on the girl as she began to eat. Etiquette didn’t seem to be high on this young woman’s agenda, as she practically shoveled mouthfuls of food with her chopsticks. How disgusting.

 

“Well...Otou-san…” Hiroshi was trying to decide how best to approach the subject, “There is a reason I have brought Fuu-chan to dine with us. You see...I met her a while ago, at one of the local tea houses…I suppose you could say I rather quickly grew attached, and...well...today she agreed to become my bride.”

  
“WHAT?” His mother practically screeched the reaction to this news, “This...this child? This mannerless, plain little thing is to be your wife? I think not!”

 

A large hand came to rest on the hysterical woman’s shoulder as her husband tried to calm her, “I’m sure Hiroshi sees redeeming traits in her...or he would not have made this choice.”

 

Fuu had stopped eating, mouth hanging slightly agape at the cruel outburst from Hiroshi’s mother. Slowly, the waitress set her bowl down, about to climb to her feet and run, stopped only by a firm hand on her own as Hiroshi silently implored her to remain, “Okaa-san, you don’t know Fuu-chan. She is a wonderful woman. Any gem requires a bit of polish, I suppose, but she is precious to me. I will marry her, whether you grant permission or not.”

 

Hiroshi’s mother narrowed her eyes, which no longer held any hint of gentility, at the girl who was stealing away her son, “What sort of family is she even from? What do you know about her, Hiroshi? You met her at a tea house? Do you know anything more about her than I do, really?”

 

Hiroshi’s father closed his eyes, drawing a slow breath as he contemplated the situation, “A tea house, you say? And what was she doing there?”

 

“She...she worked there. As a waitress…” Hiroshi could feel the intense glare of his mother, the cool contemplation of his father, “But why should it matter what she has done in the past? I love her!”

 

Fuu blushed deeply at the scrutiny she was under, and even more so at the use of the word love, “Hiroshi-kun…”

 

“And what about her parents?” His mother continued, not giving any time for a tender moments, “You are not trying to bring an embarrassment into this family are you?”

 

Hiroshi looked to his father for some form of support, but was met with silence. He answered readily, not lying, just omitting some of the facts he knew, “Her parents have both passed away.”

 

“Fine, fine.” His mother waved her hand to dismiss the response, “An orphan is a bad enough thing. But what did her parents do when they were alive?”

 

“Really, if you’re going to turn this into an interrogation, then I see no reason to stay!” Hiroshi snapped, startling his mother, “I’m marrying Fuu-chan either way, so if you cannot give your blessing, then I suppose we will take our leave now.”

 

As her fiance stood to move, it was Fuu’s turn to grip his hand and shake her head, “They deserve an honest reply, at least…you shouldn’t walk out of here fighting with them...give them the truth, and some time to think it over…”

 

Hiroshi looked at her, his dark gaze full of worry, but offered a small nod, “Alright.”

 

“My father was a samurai...but he left long ago, when I was only a small child, leaving behind the scent of sunflowers…” Fuu began to unfold the tale of her life. How when she small she used to wish for her father’s return, when her mother died, she vowed revenge, and how thanks to the help of two feuding swordsmen, she was able to set off on her quest to find the Samurai who smelled of Sunflowers. She told of their journey, their adventures together, and the eventually discover of her father, who by then was ill. How the man she could no longer bring herself to hate was cut down for being a Christian. She told every detail.

 

“A Christian?” Hiroshi’s mother spat in reply. Her son’s fiance was the child of a man who had been on the wrong side of the shogunate! This would bring nothing but shame, and she would not have it, “Hiroshi, you knew about this, and you still asked her to marry you? Have you no sense of honor?”

 

A firm hand fell on the woman’s shoulder, causing her to stop her tirade and look at her husband, “We cannot help who we fall in love with.”

 

“But a Christian!” She protested, silenced again by a sharp look from her spouse.

 

“Her father was Christian, which she knew nothing about. She never claimed to be one herself.” Turning his cool stare back on Fuu, something of a curiosity seemed to gleam in his eyes as silence lingered a moment, “You love our son in return, Fuu-chan?”

 

The girl nodded, the hesitation in the gesture not escaping father or sons attention. Her fiance didn’t let his smile falter, and his father simply continue to regard Fuu carefully.

 

“If you love him, then you have my blessing.” He concluded, smiling slightly. His spouse looked at him in disbelief, but sighed in defeat.

 

Though Fuu was glad to be accepted, she couldn’t help but noticed he had placed a slight emphasis on the word if. Of course she loved Hiroshi, she wouldn’t have agreed to marry him otherwise, right? She returned the smile offered by her fiance’s father, “Arigato.”


	4. Is This Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have fun with Mugen being a creeper. I really need to upload this story more quickly...
> 
> Comments and constructive criticism are loved!

* * *

 

 

Mugen scowled as the couple disappeared into the large house. He was agitated, mostly at the fact that he didn’t know why he was so upset, though the rogue blamed it on the fact that he hadn’t yet learned what Fuu and Hiroshi had been saying about him. Glancing around, he made certain that the area was clear of people, not that he couldn’t handle himself, but he was pretty sure Fuu would be majorly pissed if he decided to kill people here. After taking a brief moment to wonder why he even cared what that ditzy girl thought, he dropped from the tree he had scaled earlier into the yard. Stormy eyes only glanced at the home for a few seconds, he didn’t have time to waste gawking at fancy buildings as he looked for an easy way in. There was a widow open on one side of the abode. How careless of the folks who lived there, it was like inviting trouble. The vagrant smirked as he made his way to the opened window as stealthily as possible.

 

The former pirate wasn’t exactly big on hiding in the shadows, but he was motivated by the notion that if he got caught in this little bit of espionage Fuu would get the wrong idea. That dumb girl would probably think he was jealous or something, which was definitely not the case! He just wanted to find out whether Fuu and her man had been talking shit about him, that was all! So he crawled through the window, only to hear a gasp from a female servant who had decided to busy herself in the kitchen while her employers dined.

 

It didn’t take a genius to know that the woman was going to let out a scream, and in a flash Mugen was behind her, twisting the servant’s arm around to pin it behind her back while his other hand cover her mouth. He wasn’t going to get caught because some chick decided he was scary! Leaning in he murmured against her ear, “I ain’t gonna hurt ya. I just wanna know-”

 

His voice fell flat as he heard a shout from the dining hall that was attached to the kitchen by a narrow, open door. Fortunately, from where he was standing he couldn’t be seen, which gave him the perfect chance to eavesdrop on the dinner conversation as a woman’s voice rang out with indignation, “WHAT? This...this child? This mannerless, plain little thing is to be your wife? I think not!”

 

Mugen huffed slightly, his grip tightening on the mouth covered by his hand as he continued to restrain the servant. The screeching woman in the other room had given a pretty accurate description of Fuu, actually. A plain child, though mannerless didn’t exactly fit her in the rogue’s opinion...then again, who was he comparing her to? Himself? It surprised the vagrant that he felt a bit irritated at the way Fuu was spoken about, even if it was true. He said the same sorts of things himself all the time, after all, so why should it offend him?

 

His thoughts drifted off as he tuned back into the conversation. They were discussing whether Fuu was worthy of being Hiroshi’s wife. The woman, whom he had now figured out was the pretty boy’s mother, was finding reason after reason to reject her. Fuu was a common working class girl, a waitress at a teahouse! And worse by far than any of that, her father was a Christian!

 

Knowing full well that her father’s religious beliefs held little sway over her own, Mugen rolled his eyes at the notion that the sunflower samurai’s Christianity should be the deciding factor. As his storm hued gaze shifted, it landed upon the curve of a silver pot, noticing that Fuu’s reflection showed, though slightly distorted by the curve of the metal. He kept his eyes trained there as he listened to the conversation in the other room.

 

“You love our son in return, Fuu-chan?” The strong yet gentle voice apparently belonged to Hiroshi’s father. Mugen heard no answer, but the reflection in the pot dipped it’s head in a nod. Something in the vagrant’s stomach seemed to twist. Damn...he should have eaten while he was at the teahouse after all!

 

The ex-pirate didn’t even realize a slight sneer had curled across his lips. She really loved this pretty boy, huh? He tore his gaze away from the pot as the father spoke once more, though Mugen was really done listening by this point, “If you love him, the you have our blessing.”

 

The steely eyed criminal murmured to the servant he still held still, “I’m gonna let ya go. Don’t scream, I’m leavin’, so there’s no need.”

 

He waited for some sign of confirmation that the servant understood, and it was given in the form of a frightened nod. As he loosened his grip slowly, ready to clamp a hand over her mouth again if she failed to listen to his request that she keep silent, he heard Fuu utter a single soft word, “Arigato.”

 

“Tch.” With more irritation than he’d had when he came in, he swiftly made his way out the window, breaking into a run towards the wall as he heard the Servant let out a screech as soon as he was out of the kitchen.

 

* * *

 

“Ahhhh!” A shriek erupted from the kitchen as a rather plump, middle aged servant burst into the dining room through the narrow door that separated the two chambers, “A...a criminal! He...he was in the kitchen!”

 

It was Fuu’s first reaction to immediately widen her eyes, and stand. Criminal? Was it Mugen? What was he doing in the kitchen of her fiance’s home? Hiroshi stood just as swiftly, placing himself between his betrothed and the room where the danger had apparently been.

 

“Relax,” The samurai master of the house spoke, trying to calm her enough to make some sense out of her words, “How do you know he was a criminal? Did he hurt you? Did he take anything?”

 

“B-blue rings!” She murmured, gesturing around her wrists, indicating the tattoos that had ringed the swordsman’s appendages, “H-he grabbed me! Put his hand on my mouth...I...no, he didn’t take a thing...just came in, listened, and left.”

 

At blue rings, Fuu had instantly known. It was Mugen. The last thing she heard was Hiroshi shouting her name, telling her to wait before she rushed out into the pouring rain. She intended to demand answers. What had Mugen been doing there? Had he followed them? Just to eavesdrop on their conversation with his parents? What the hell was he up to?

 

Inside, Hiroshi was being told to investigate the kitchen, while his father insisted on searching the surrounding area. The women were, of course, to remain inside until it was certain all was safe. But Fuu was already gone. When questioned, Hiroshi made up an excuse, not wanting his parents to know the part of the story that she had left out. That one of her bodyguards had been a criminal.

  
Silently, Fuu was searching the area outside the kitchen for any sign of Mugen, though she knew he would be long gone by now. He wasn’t stupid enough to hang around after the servant had shrieked. From the window she heard a voice, “Fuu-chan!”

 

Blinking, the twenty year old looked up to see who was addressing her, though she should not have been surprised to see Hiroshi leaning on the window ledge, looking at her with a small frown, “You know it was him…”

 

A nod shifted the loose bun against her neck as she sighed, “I know...but why would he…”

 

Her fiance had a notion of why Mugen might have been spying, but he didn’t dare put it into words. If he said it, if he acknowledged that there might be something there, then he risked losing her! She had nodded when his father asked if she loved him, but the samurai’s son couldn’t help thinking there was someone else with a finger hold in her heart. And if he suggested that there was even the slightest chance her former bodyguard might have the same feelings...his frown deepened at the idea.

 

“Ohhh!” At the sudden sound of realization from Fuu, Hiroshi blinked up at her. Her brows were knit together in irritation and her hands rested on her hips as she scowled. Not the reaction he would have expected if she’d just put the pieces together the way he had, “That….that JERK!”

 

A long dark ponytail shifted against the samurai’s son’s back as he canted his head slightly, trying not to appear as confused as he felt. What exactly did she think was going on, anyway? “Fuu-chan?”

 

“He thinks he can find something to use against us!” She was practically twitching at the unlikely notion that had occurred to her, “He’s going to try and get something from me, I just know it, greedy son of a…”

 

Hiroshi’s eyes went wide. Did his betrothed really think her former bodyguard would do such a thing? Blackmail seemed a bit too sophisticated for someone like the former pirate. And even if it wasn’t, he doubted that the tactic would be turned against Fuu. Quickly, though, the young man schooled his features into concern, “You think so? That’s probably it then.”

 

Fuu knew it was a stretch to think that Mugen would do such a thing. But she was marrying into a fairly wealthy family, and he had no reason to spy on her if he wasn’t plotting something. It wasn’t like he actually cared for her, after all. She was nothing but a fulfilled obligation from his past.

 

“Did you find anything?” The sudden shout from behind her startled the brunette, who jumped and turned to see Hiroshi’s father approaching from the gate, “I searched the yard, and the road beyond the gate, but - Fuu-chan! You shouldn’t be out here! It could be dangerous!”

 

He had interrupted himself when it became clear that Fuu was lingering in the shadows near the window to the kitchen. The girl fidgeted, trying to come up with a reason for having run out the house and into obvious danger. Somehow she thought that her association with a former pirate might be more condemning in the view of the samurai than the fact that her father had been Christian. After all, she had associated with Mugen by choice, even knowing what he was, “G-gomen, I thought maybe I could help.”

 

The excuse seemed to satiate the man’s curiosity, as he sighed and shook his head, “You should be inside with the other women. This man could be very dangerous.”

 

In an attempt to slightly change the course of the conversation, Hiroshi spoke up, “Nothing seems to be missing, Otou-san.”

 

This only caused the older man to frown, “Then he wasn’t there as a thief...perhaps he was hoping to do something else…”

 

His tone was dubious, implying that some sort of harm had been meant to befall someone. His gaze shifted to Fuu, “You should stay the night, I think. We can set up a futon in a guest room. It won’t be safe to travel alone in the dark.”

 

Doe soft eyes slid to Hiroshi, then to his father, “I should be alright. I mean, I really ought to get back home. It’s much closer to the teahouse, and I don’t want to be late for work tomorrow...besides, whoever he was, he’s gone now.”

 

The girl needed to talk to Mugen. And that wasn’t going to happen if she stayed in the large home for the night. Nor was it going to happen if Hiroshi accompanied her, she knew. So she had to find a way to leave the house, and to leave alone.

 

“I’m afraid I must insist.” Her soon-to-be father-in-law slid the blade he had been carrying as a precaution back into its sheath, “I don’t want Hiroshi to go out alone either, so even if he walked you, he would be forced to stay at your home. I know his mother would not allow it.”

 

“Otou-san!” Hiroshi blushed at the implications of spending the night with Fuu in either house, even if they weren’t in the same room, “I...I can handle myself! I can walk Fuu-chan home, and return safely!”

 

A dark look was shot in the young man’s direction, narrowed, dark brown eyes appearing almost black in the night, “Hiroshi! This man is dangerous! He clearly had no intention of taking anything, except perhaps a prisoner, or a life. I will not let you put yourself, or Fuu-chan at risk!”

 

“I’ll stay!” Fuu interrupted, not wanting to see her fiance fight with his father, and earned a surprised look from the men. They had been certain such a strong willed girl would put up more of a fight. What they didn’t know, was that Fuu had no intentions of actually staying.

 

“Alright then,” The samurai nodded in satisfaction after a moment, “Let’s go back inside.”

 

He wouldn’t let Fuu out of his sight until he had guided her into the main room, where his wife was waiting with Hiroshi. The head of the house instructed the still shaken servant that entered at his bidding to show Fuu to where she would be sleeping, and set up a futon in the spare room for their guest. Off the plump woman bustled to do as told.

 

“I think it would be best for all of us to get some rest.” He stated calmly to his family, placing a hand on his wife’s back and guiding her to their bedchamber, calling over his shoulder, “You too, Hiroshi!”

 

The young man skulked out of the room after them, still wondering about that swordsman who had snuck into the house, and how Fuu had missed the obvious implications. He was glad she had, but he couldn’t help wondering how long it would be before he lost her to her former bodyguard. Eventually, she would have to catch on to reality, right? Or Mugen would get smart and confess. Either way, he had to be careful of the former pirate, and keep the waitress as far from the other man as possible for the time being.

 

* * *

 

The house was quiet, very much so. It was easy to assume everyone was asleep; time for Fuu to make her move. She wasn’t sure how long she had been resting on her futon, pretending to slumber as she waited for this opportunity. Hopefully Mugen was somewhere she could find him. If not, well, she still had to try. She had to let him know that he needed to leave Hiroshi alone. A part of her wanted to demand what the criminal had been doing in the kitchen, to dare him to tell her he wasn’t worried about her. But another part of her was certain that he actually hadn’t been worried about her at all. Which meant he was up to something far more dubious.

 

As quickly and quietly as possible, the waitress stood, and crept into the hallway, not bothering to shut the door behind her for fear of accidentally making a loud noise. A cringe came over her as the floor seemed to creak with her steps, but she couldn’t stop. She just had to hope the sound seemed amplified to her because she was trying to be quiet.

 

Her footsteps carried her to the front door, where she slipped on her sandals. This entrance she shut behind her, if only to keep criminals and raindrops out. The heavy rain of earlier had turned into a soft drizzle. She didn’t bother to grab the umbrella that still rested against the wall under awning of the porch before taking off down the path and onto the street. It must have been quite late by this time, because the street was all but silent.

 

She wandered aimlessly through Edo, looking for Mugen, but not seeing him anywhere. With a frown she realized he was probably at a brothel, it was about the only place he could possibly be at this hour. Why had she been stupid enough to think she could find him, anyway? Now she was wet, and cold and- She yelped as a hand gripped her shoulder, turning her around quickly.

 

“Fuu-chan! What are you doing?” A sigh escaped as the one who had found her pulled her close in his strong arms, running a hand over her damp hair.

 

“H-Hiroshi-kun? What...how’d…” She thought she had not been noticed during her escape from the house, but here she was, in the arms of her fiance.

 

“I thought I heard something, and when I got up to investigate, your door was open, and your room was empty. I was worried.” Of course, he’d immediately known what had happened when he had heard the creaking of the floor down the hall from where his room was located. He’d been awake, listening silently for the moment when the brunette would try to make her escape. Not that he regarded her as a prisoner. He just wanted to protect her. So when he’d figured out that she was planning to leave in the night to look for Mugen, of course he had followed. If she found the criminal, if something happened between them, the samurai’s son knew it would only leave his beloved hurt. People like Mugen didn’t settle down, they didn’t stay. He would have his fun with Fuu, and leave her. And Hiroshi wouldn’t let that happen, he wouldn’t lose his Fuu to someone like that!

 

* * *

 

A familiar yelp startled Mugen out of his slumber. He was leaning against a wall in an alleyway, and he could have sworn he’d just heard Fuu, and that the girl was in distress. His immediate reflex was to stumble to his feet, reaching for the hilt of his sword. He hesitated though, “Feh, let her fiance save her.”

 

The grumbled reasoning didn’t sit well with him, though, even as he tried to talk himself out of going to investigate. So he made his way quickly to the place where the alley let out into the main road. He could tell that the cry had been close, especially when he heard the reassuring voice of the samurai’s son coming from just around the corner.

 

“Fuu-chan!” Rather than step clearly into view on the road, the vagrant pressed his back against the wall so he could peer around the corner unnoticed. Fuu’s back was too him, but her betrothed was looking his way, and seemed to spot the former pirate. The younger man’s eyes narrowed in the spy’s direction even as he spoke to Fuu, causing Mugen to glare back before slowly stalking away back down the alley to where he had been sleeping, flopping down against the wall as the pretty boy could be heard from the main street, “Let’s go back to the house, it’s not safe to be out this late. That’s why Otou-san told you to spend the night.”

 

That last part seemed to be said ever so slightly more loudly than the rest of the statement. Aimed to irk or warn Mugen, Fuu was Hiroshi’s now. She was even spending the night in his family’s home. Mugen closed his eyes and sneered, “Tch, like I care anyway.”


	5. Warning and Ruckus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tensions on the rise!

* * *

 

Fuu wasn’t sure how late it had been when she and Hiroshi finally returned to his family’s home. He had walked her to her room, assured her that he wouldn’t tell his parents about her leaving the house, or about her connection to the criminal who had broken in, then kissed her softly on the forehead and wished her sweet dreams. Not knowing how late she had been out resulted in not really knowing how much sleep she’d actually gotten when she sat up with a bleary yawn, looked about, panicked for a brief moment at the realization she wasn’t in her own apartment and relaxed after remembering where she was.

  
It was hard to believe that so much had happened in a single twenty-four hour period. She’d left her home to go to work the previous morning, not expecting anything remarkable. It had proceeded to be a run of the mill day, up until she was proposed to, the former bodyguard she had been certain she would never see or hear from again suddenly popped up, she met her new fiancé’s family, and said former bodyguard broke into that family’s house apparently to listen in on said meeting. If it weren’t for waking up in a guest room in Hiroshi’s house, she would be certain it had all been a dream!

  
  
Standing, the twenty year old woman stretched, scratching the back of her neck. She was in a yukata that had been given to her to sleep in, having only changed into it before actually going to sleep. She frowned slightly, remembering that her kimono had been pretty wet after her outing in the rain in search of Mugen the night before. It probably wouldn’t be dry yet. A quick look at the rack she had draped it on near the window confirmed her suspicions, and she groaned in response. What was she supposed to wear now? She couldn’t run around in the yukata she’d slept in! And she certainly couldn’t go to work in it! Damn Mugen for making her follow him last night! Okay, so he hadn’t forced her, but if he hadn’t broken into the house and made it so obvious he was up to no good, she wouldn’t have had to chase after him to see what exactly he was doing! Her logic was flawless, this was his fault!

  
  
Suddenly, her mind returned to her previous thought. She couldn’t go to work in a yukata. It occurred to her, that she didn’t have the slightest idea what time it was, other than a good time to panic. The young waitress rushed to her bedroom door and moved to push the shoji aside so that she could ask whomever she happened to stumble upon first what the current hour happened to be. She was probably running so late! As the screen slid away to reveal the hall, the maid that Mugen had so selfishly accosted the night before stood there, blinking in surprise at the fact that she hadn’t even been able to knock yet. In the servant’s hands was a deep green kimono with copper colored embroidery in the shape of koi on it. Not that Fuu noticed before demanding, “What time is it?”

  
  
“You have plenty of time, Miss.” The maid calmly replied with a small smile, “Hiroshi-sama visited the tea house, and assured them that you would be there in about an hour. I was just about to make certain you were awake.”

  
  
An hour? She glanced at the window outside. That couldn’t be right. Judging by the amount of sunlight, she was already late, or would be by the time she arrived.

  
  
Seeing the younger woman’s look of confusion the servant patiently explained, “He made them aware of the situation last night. You employer said it would be alright if you ran a little late. Hiroshi-sama also purchased this for you; he said your other kimono somehow got wet?”

  
  
Fuu looked to the new kimono that was offered by the maid, then to her still damp pink ensemble. Green wasn’t exactly the waitress’ color of choice, but she didn’t doubt it would look nice on her. And she did need something to wear, so she couldn’t exactly object. With a nod, she reached out to accept the gift, “Thank you.”

  
“Thank Hiroshi-sama when next you see him. He’s obviously quite smitten.” The older woman smiled and turned, “Breakfast shall be waiting when you are ready.”

  
  
The shoji slid shut, and Fuu regarded the kimono carefully, smiling to herself at the kindness she was being shown by her betrothed before she set about dressing.  


 

* * *

  
  
Hiroshi sat at the table in the dining room, legs crossed in front of him as he sipped a cup of green tea. He’d already had his own breakfast before setting out to run a few errands in the morning. It was evident that Fuu had been exhausted after the previous night’s excitement, so his first stop was to the tea house, to explain the situation and see if they would be willing to allow his fiancé to come in a bit later than usual.

  
  
He told them that he had taken her to his house to meet his family, as had been the plan, but that things had been interrupted by an intruder. If they saw anyone who seemed criminal or suspicious, be careful, because he suspected that Fuu might have been the man’s target. He also explained that the man might somehow know Fuu, so they should exercise extreme caution, but not be too obvious about it, of course. Just keep her away from suspicious parties.

  
  
His next stop was in the shopping district, where he searched for a kimono for his bride to be. He knew the one she wore the previous night when she went out looking for the vagrant would not be dry, so he would have to find her something else to go to work in. After a brief perusal of the merchandise he decided on a lovely green color with copper embroidery.

  
  
Just a short while ago, he’d returned home, and handed the kimono to his maid, explaining that Fuu might be worried about being late, but that it had been taken care of, and that an incident the previous night had led to the woman’s kimono getting wet, so she would need the new one to wear to work. During this conversation his mother had entered the room, and once the servant had given a nod and turned to fulfill Hiroshi’s orders, the mistress of the household proceeded to inform him that she certainly hoped this tea house job wouldn’t be permanent. It was, in his mother’s opinion, the duty of a wife to care for the household and raise children, not to work. That was the husband’s task.

  
  
With a roll of his eyes her son had sighed, and proceeded to inform her that Fuu would work until she no longer desired to. He reminded his mother that even though she was the mistress of their household, servants did most of the chores, and he had had a nanny when he was a child. Fuu would be provided with the same if she needed them to be able to continue doing as she desired. Of course, he secretly hoped that she would be a housewife. The image of her waiting for him when he came home, their child in her arms and dinner on the table brought a warm smile to his features. With a huff, his mother had turned and left the room, probably to pester a servant.

  
  
This left Hiroshi as he was now, sitting cross-legged at the table, tea cup in hand, soft smile on his face as he thought of his future with Fuu. A creak sounded from the stairs, alerting him to the fact that the woman in question was approaching, since everyone else was on the first floor already. Eager to greet her, he stood, and moved to where the stairs let out into the main hallway, stopping as he saw her descending. He had done a good job, he thought, in choosing a kimono. She looked beautiful in anything, of course. But the darker tones of the kimono he had selected, as opposed to the pink she usually wore gave her a more grown up appearance. The copper koi stood out, complimenting her bright brown gaze and hair.

  
  
“You...wow.” He looked almost in awe at her appearance as she reached the bottom of the stairs, accepting the hand he offered to help her down the last couple steps. A blush crept over her features as he stared at her, and he could tell she was feeling self conscious again, “You look lovely, not that you weren’t always.”

  
  
A small smile came to her lips as he guided her to the dining room table. As soon as Fuu had settled on the floor, legs tucked neatly beneath her, the servants brought her breakfast. Considering what his mother seemed to think women should behave like, the brunette was rather surprised at the impressive portion. She supposed it had more to do with Hiroshi having seen her appetite before than it did with his mother’s opinion, though. Taking her chopsticks in hand, the woman looked at the spread before her. Fish, rice, the typical Japanese breakfast, in hearty helpings. It was hard to decide what to eat first.

  
  
When his betrothed had finally settled on her first dish and begun to eat, her healthy appetite was endearing as far as he was concerned, Hiroshi took the opportunity to speak, “I hope you don’t mind if I walk you to the tea house today, Fuu-chan.”

  
  
Her cheeks full of food the hungry waitress turned a surprised look at him. Hadn’t he already been out to her place of employment? There was no need for him to waste time traveling back out that way.

  
  
“It’s really no trouble, if that’s what you’re thinking.” He chuckled softly, reaching out to brush away a stray piece of rice that had stuck to the corner of her mouth, “I want to make sure you’re safe.”

  
The look she gave him as she swallowed the food in her mouth was meant to remind him that she wasn’t actually in any physical danger, because she knew the idiot who had come into the kitchen the night before. She couldn’t say so aloud, of course, since Hiroshi’s mother was in the home somewhere.

  
  
“You think you can handle it,” The samurai’s son reasoned in response to her silent objection, “But if the man who broke in was a hired spy or assailant, what then?”

  
  
Fuu’s features fell as she considered this option. She really didn’t think Mugen would hurt her. Not physically, anyway. He’d always been the one to save her after all. At most, he might try to exhort money from her or the family she was marrying into. Right? But Hiroshi’s words reminded her that while they’d been together, he had taken jobs other than being her bodyguard. And some of them had been pretty shady. He’d even worked for yakuza before. If someone gave him the right sum, would he turn on her? Was he her friend, or had he only helped her to repay a debt?

  
  
“I’d just feel better if I could walk to and from the tea house with you.” Hiroshi’s words broke her from her thoughts. She didn’t think that her fiancé would stand a chance against Mugen in a fight. In fact, she was certain that the samurai’s son would be slaughtered. And if her former bodyguard was really acting as a hired thug, then he wouldn’t let anyone stand between him and his target, “Fuu-chan?”

  
  
“Alright, I suppose.” She felt awful agreeing. It meant she was putting Hiroshi in harm’s way, should Mugen have actually turned on her. And it somehow felt as though she was saying she didn’t trust Mugen any longer. But she definitely couldn’t voice any of her objections, not with the risk of someone in the household overhearing. Her chopsticks were set on the table and she stood, “I guess we should get going, I’m already late as it is.”

  
  
As the waitress moved toward the door, her fiancé’s brow furrowed in concern. Something in the way she responded didn’t sit right. Even worse was the fact that a meal she had seemed so eager to take part in sat less than half eaten on the table. If he was reading the situation accurately, Fuu was worried about something...more likely someone. Hiroshi could only hope that someone was him.

  
  
With a sigh and a shake of his head, her escort rose as well, and followed after her, sliding on his footwear, and following her out the door. It was a quiet walk to the tea house, with Fuu obviously thinking about something. The man at her side knew he should probably say something, but he wasn’t sure what had her so deep in thought, and therefore, he didn’t know what words might provide some comfort, “Fuu-chan?”

  
  
“Hmm?” She blinked, coming out of her deep focus and turning to look at him as the slowed to a stop, “What is it, Hiroshi-kun?”

  
  
“Umm...first, we’re here.” He indicated the tea house with a tilt of his head. Fuu nodded, and shifted to proceed into her place of employment, only to be stopped by a gentle hand on her wrist, “I said that was first. There’s more I want to say though.”

  
The waitress turned to look at him, unsure of what he wanted to talk about, “Hiroshi-kun, can’t it wait until after I get off? I’m already late and-”

  
  
“It won’t take long. I promise.” With an irritated huff, Fuu gestured that her fiancé should continue speaking. Knowing that she wouldn’t leave now, he released her hand, so she wouldn’t feel trapped, “Okay. I...I really don’t trust that Mugen guy. I know he used to be your friend...but...I really think you should avoid him.”

  
  
“Mugen?” His betrothed sighed and frowned, rubbing the bridge of her nose, “Is that what this is...you’re still worried about that? Still jealous of a memory? He’s not here for me, so don’t worry, Hiroshi-kun. He didn’t come here looking for me, I just happened to be here.”

 

  
“Which is what worries me! You know what happened last night. Why would he do that? I know of one reason!” He knew of two actually. Maybe, hopefully, Fuu was right last night in her theory last night and the break in was an attempt to find blackmail material. But there was the chance that Mugen had been checking out the competition, and was secretly harboring feelings for the waitress. But for now, Hiroshi would choose to believe the first possibility. Dropping his voice to a hush so that they wouldn’t draw any further attention to their discussion he reminded her of an important fact about her former bodyguard, “He’s a pirate. Who knows what he’s capable of, Fuu-chan! Just...just be careful.”

 

  
She didn’t want to believe that her friend, her former bodyguard would be capable of something like that. But she knew that he could be selfish, very selfish. There were times he was a downright bastard! And she really didn’t want to start a fight with her fiancé in the middle of the street, especially not the day after becoming engaged, “I’ll be careful.”

  
  
“Good. And...can I be selfish enough to ask one more thing?” The voice that came from the dark haired man was suddenly a bit sheepish as he glanced between the ground and his future bride.

  
  
Fuu had to smile at his behavior. He was acting like a little boy about to ask for something he shouldn’t...or about to steal a kiss, perhaps. It was cute. She let out a small laugh, “What is it, Hiroshi-kun?”

  
  
“I want...I mean, I know it’s unconventional, and a bit...um...it will probably cause gossip...but...I want you to stay at my house. At least until Mugen leaves town, or I think you’re safe.” He glanced up to see the woman’s face shift from shock, to contemplation, to irritation. She looked like she was about to actually start yelling at him. They’d never actually had a real fight, and he didn’t want to start now, “Please! You’d stay in your own room, just like last night. I...I don’t feel safe with you in that apartment by yourself. I’d worry about you!”

  
  
A deep breath was drawn by the brunette as she tried to calm down, her brow twitching. She didn’t want to cause a scandal. Of course, she’d spent a year traveling with two men unsupervised when she was fifteen. That was pretty scandalous. At least at his house, she would be chaperoned by his parents, “Alright. Fine.”

  
  
It took a moment for her compliance to register, but when it did, Hiroshi’s face bloomed into a relieved smile. He wouldn’t have to worry about Mugen sneaking into her apartment at night or something now! She would be walked to and from work by himself, and there would be no chance for the rogue to get the waitress alone! This limited opportunities for the pirate to either kidnap her or steal her heart! It was a definite win win situation. Hiroshi swept in to press a kiss against Fuu’s forehead. Chaste enough for a public display of affection, it wouldn’t cause gossip, “Arigato! I will rest much easier knowing that you are safe! I’ll pick you up at the end of your shift!”

  
  
Fuu smiled at his exuberance, shaking her head in amusement. It was amazing to her that this man cared so much for her. He was so open with his affection. She was unused to it, that was for sure, “I’ll see you then, Hiroshi-kun.”

  
  
She turned and stepped into the tea house to begin her shift. Only once she had done so, did her betrothed finally feel it alright to walk away. He would return to his home until her shift was nearly over. No sense hovering, that would make her feel like he was overbearing. And he certainly didn’t want that.  


 

* * *

  
  
Fuu moved through the lunch crowd with a grace that none would have thought possible if they had seen her four years earlier. In her hands was grasped a wooden platter that bore the orders of her customers as she swept her way across the tea house to the table in the innermost corner, brightly smiling as she came to a stop and skillfully balanced the tray in one hand to disperse the dishes to those who had requested them, “Here we are! Four orders of green tea, and a large plate of dumplings to split!”

  
  
At the table were seated two sleek but strong men, and the women that accompanied them. A single look at the ladies would make it quite clear why the men had chosen their company, from the curve of broad hips that narrowed to slim waists, and erupted into impressive cleavage. They were the type of women that would have once upon a time had the waitress feeling very self conscious, the type a certain rogue prefered. With a violent shake of her head Fuu chased such thoughts from her head. There was no need to worry what that jerk prefered now. She had a man who loved her, and she loved him, and they were to be married. So Mugen didn’t matter in the slightest! Plastering her most congenial expression over her features once more, she gave a bow to the foursome who looked at her with some concern, “If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask!”

  
  
With that she bustled off to take the order at another table, barely registering the curvaceous women she had just served murmuring to their dates about the strange behavior of their waitress. Though the brunette maintained her pleasant expression for the sake of her customers, on the inside, she was feeling a bit low. She couldn’t stop the question of why from circling through her mind. Why had Mugen come to Edo? Was it a coincidence, or had he intended to find her? The answer was probably the first, but could she be certain? Why had he broken into her fiancé’s home while she was meeting Hiroshi’s family? She couldn’t fathom an answer for that. Sure, she had suggested that he was looking for some kind of dirt to hold over her for blackmail, but somehow, she wasn’t able to think of his extorting her like that. Maybe that was her naive hope that he still considered her a friend getting the better of her though. Why was Hiroshi so dead set against her having any contact with the pirate? Her betrothed knew she had considered the swordsman a friend, and how, together with Jin, he had helped her find her father, and saved her countless times. One would think that a man would be grateful to someone who made it possible for him to meet his intended. But instead, Hiroshi seemed to hold a grudge. She’d made a quip about the samurai’s son being jealous, but even if he was, she knew there was no reason for him to be. Mugen had never seen her as more that a child. He never would see her as more that a child. And besides that, she had agreed to marry Hiroshi! Even with Mugen standing right there, she had accepted the younger man’s proposal. If she had been so in love with the criminal, she would have turned her current fiance away and left with the other then. But, she hadn’t. So obviously it was Hiroshi she was in love with.

  
  
Trembling hands held the tray over her chest, grasping so tightly that her knuckles began to turn white. Automatically she went through the routine of taking orders, though she wasn’t committing them to memory, nor was she marking them down anywhere as one might expect. Her mind was too busy running through the continuous loop of why. When she reached the end of her ponderings, it would begin again. She vaguely registered the customers at the table, a family with three young children, making some small talk, and even inquiring if she was well. As a matter of course, she replied that she was fine. Steps rang through the tea house as customers came and went, the waitress offering a bow to the family she had been chatting with, with her usual suggestion that they ask her if they find themselves needing anything. As she turned to walk away, she still had no clue what they had ordered, not that she knew that. It wasn’t until a gruff voice shattered her endlessly cycling thoughts that she was jolted out of the continuum.

  
  
“Oi, Girly, get over here and and get my order.” The clack of metal soled geta resounded as the murmur of the customers died and Fuu whirled to see Mugen propping his feet on his selected table. Her gaze, which had grown wide with surprise now narrowed with agitation as her brow twitched at the fact that he was getting mud from last nights rain all over the tabletop! Her grip on that wooden tray loosened, one hand balling into a fist at her side as she began to step towards him, forgetting about Hiroshi’s warning to stay away from the rogue, intent on giving her former bodyguard a piece of her mind.

  
  
Mugen, seeing her anger, simply offered a smug smirk, and leaned back in his chair, arms folded behind his head. He was enjoying pissing her off, it gave him a certain satisfaction that it hadn’t provided even back when they had been traveling together. And from the back of his mind the thought of serves her right emerged. He wasn’t sure where such a thought came from, or what she had done to warrant this treatment, but come on, she was Fuu. Surely she had committed some past sin that gave him the right to bully her. He refused to even entertain the possibility that he was egging her on because she had recently gotten engaged. Why the hell should that matter to him? His smirk grew broader as he noticed her moving toward him, then turned quickly to a frown when the tea shop’s proprietess stepped between them.

  
  
“I’m afraid Fuu-chan is busy tending to other customers.” The woman said sharply, offering a tight smile, “So, if you wish to be served, I would gladly see to you personally.”

  
Fuu halted as her boss suddenly intercepted her path. The woman, broad shouldered and strong willed, wasn’t facing her employee, but rather the criminal who had been antagonizing the waitress. Apparently, at least the best that the brunette could figure out, the owner of the tea house had sensed that violence was impending, and thus her business was in possible danger. It was only right that the woman should intercede. A deep breath later Fuu had calmed enough to continue with her job, allowing her to notice for the first time that she hadn’t been very successful in taking the family’s order before Mugen had walked in. Hurrying back to the table, the young waitress bow and began apologizing profusely for her mistake, informing them that she would not make the same error this time, and that their order would be taken directly to the kitchen.

  
  
Mugen for his part was scowling at the lady that had blocked his view, and his encounter, with Fuu. A quick scan of the older woman’s body told him she was no server. First of all, she was a rather large built woman. Not fat per say, but muscled and solid, not the sort that would draw in customers if stationed at the front of a restaurant. Second, from the smell of her, she spent more time in the kitchen than outside of it, “What’s the deal, lady? Ain’t the waitress supposed to do the waiting? Go back to cookin’ and let the bitch do her job.”

  
  
It was the proprietess’ turn to glare now, and a frightening glare she had, at least to any normal person. But, Mugen wasn’t normal. He was a swordsman, a criminal, and perhaps a touch on the insane side. Hearing the girl she regarded as nearly a daughter spoken about in such harsh terms, well, it was little wonder that Hiroshi had warned her about this man! Taking another step towards the villainous seeming man, the tea house’s owner folded her arms over her ample bosom, “The young lady is doing her job just fine. We have extra cooks on hand, and the front of the house is a bit crowded with the lunch rush, I thought I’d step in to help. Now, what was it you wanted?”

  
  
Even from the entrance to the kitchen, where she delivered the order she had just taken to the husband of the proprietress, who was surprisingly svelte in comparison to his wife, Fuu could hear the words being exchanged at Mugen’s table. It made her happy to hear the woman who had been like a mother to her the last four years defending her, but it worried her more. She didn’t think the pirate would slay an unarmed woman without just cause. She hoped not. Even if a punch was thrown his way, he wouldn’t go so far as to use his blade, right? Her lips pursed with worry. Mugen was dangerous. Hiroshi had been right about that much. If you made a foe of the former bodyguard, you were as good as dead.

  
  
The pirate gave the woman before him another once over. If she decided to get into a brawl, she could probably hold her own pretty well, should the weapon of choice be fists, and her opponent be...well...not him. If this lady was married, her husband was either a hulking man, or he was completely horsewhipped. Mugen’s chair remained tilted back on it’s hind legs, his feet propped on the table, arms folded behind his neck as he let his gaze lazily linger in contemplation, “You ain’t gonna let me have any fun, huh? Alright, guess I’ll just have some sake and dumplings. See if you can’t get Girly to pay. She still owes me.”

  
  
“We don’t serve sake,” The woman practically growled at his nonchalant attitude, “And if you are having dumplings, you are paying for your own. Fuu-chan will not be providing you with anything.”

  
  
“No sake? Man, what kind of dump is this place?” The vagrant groused with a sigh, picking at his ear with his pinky, “I ain’t got much on me...you sure she ain’t gonna pay what she owes in the way of dumplings?”

  
  
“This is a tea house, we provide mostly tea as far as drinks are concerned. And even if we did have sake, I wouldn’t serve it to an obvious thug like you anyhow.” The polite smile plastered on the broad woman’s face was obviously fake, despite the renewed calmness in her tone, “And Fuu-chan most certainly is not giving you dumplings. You will get what you can on your own.”

  
  
“Fine, fine.” Mugen waved one hand dismissively as he flicked the wax he had pulled from the ear using the pinky of his other hand away. He dug the latter hand into his pocket and procured the last of his coins, “Gimme a cup of tea, and as many dumplings as this gets me.”

  
  
The woman skeptically eyed the money, while Fuu peered around the corner from the kitchen entrance and nearly fell over at the notion that Mugen would actually willingly pay for something...or drink tea for that matter. Finally, the owner reached down and snatched up the coins, business was business, and in the same move shoved the rogue’s feet from the table, sending his chair clattering back to all fours, “No feet where you eat! I’ll see what I can do.”

  
  
Mugen was startled by the actions of the proprietess, and jostled by the sudden lurch forward of his chair. What the hell! Only Fuu had ever treated him like that, where did this old bag get off thinking she could act that way with him? He leapt from his seat shaking a fist after the retreating form of the owner, “You old bitch! I’ll put my feet where I want to!”

  
  
“There are children present!” She called over her shoulder, voice stern as ever, clearly unintimidated by the pirate’s antic, “Stop with the swearing, or I’ll wash your mouth out with soap...then at least some part of you will be clean! And, I’m only fifteen or so years older than you!”

  
  
“Still an old hag!” Mugen roared in reply as the woman disappeared into the kitchen, though he didn’t swear this time. There were several tables with families at them, not that he cared. Somehow though, he wasn’t sure he could actually stop that woman if she decided to assault him with soap. Not that he’d admit to being scared, especially being scared of a chick. So, he just chalked it up to not wanting to fight with her. He’d come to annoy Fuu anyway, not to pick fights with old hags.

 

Steely eyes flitted across the room to where Fuu was delivering food to a woman who had come in with her young daughter. As the brunette sat a plate before each of them, she stopped to crouch before the little girl, who had to be three or four, not that the vagrant was good at guessing ages, and began to chat with the child. The tones were soft, Mugen couldn’t hear exactly what was being said, but he saw the warm smile on Fuu’s face, and the happy giggles that slipped from the girl’s lips as the waitress made funny faces and spoke to her. Without realizing it, the criminal found a small smile threatening to spread onto his own features.

  
  
“Tea and four dumplings.” Came a voice from just off to the side, drawing Mugen’s attention toward the speaker. It was the broad shouldered owner, who roughly sat a cup of tea on the table, sloshing some of its contents over.

  
  
“Huh?” The rogue had only caught a bit of what she had said, something about dumplings. He was too busy making sure any trace of a potential smile had been demolished from his features to pay her much mind.But a glance from the proprietess in Fuu’s direction let him know he’d been caught staring at the very least.

  
  
“Your money gets you tea and four dumplings. No more. And you don’t get any change.” She watched the waitress interacting with the little girl for a moment longer before reminding her to get back to waiting on the other customers. As Fuu bustled off to get back to work, the owner’s gaze turned back to Mugen. Where once her fierce glare had been, she now wore a curious, scrutinizing expression. She hadn’t missed how the tattooed man had watched her employee, or the faintest hint of a smile that had briefly flicked over his features, “Fuu-chan’s a special girl. She’ll make a fine wife and mother, and Hiroshi-san is very lucky to have her.”

  
  
For a moment, Mugen’s dark sights followed his former traveling companion, unaware that the comments made by the older woman were a test of sorts. She was curious to see how he would react to her comments about the waitress. As he watched Fuu almost glide between the tables, it was strange to see her appearing as a woman. She obviously held the ability to charm her customers, and the children that came into the establishment smiled and laughed at her as she interacted with them. Without really thinking he murmured a soft, “Yeah…”

  
“Pfft!” He quickly corrected himself as he realized he had agreed to something rather sappy, and about no one other than that nagging bitch Fuu! He let out a short, barking laugh, which may or may not have been a bit forced, drawing the attention of some of the clients, and Fuu as well, “Yeah sure, if your into the whole ball and chain thing, maybe. I mean, if you want a nagging, clumsy, not at all pretty, more trouble than she’s worth-”

  
  
His list of negatives went on, even if he was reaching for some of them. Fuu stood on the other end of the room, trembling slightly, wondering why she had ever missed him, why his opinion had ever mattered! He was a jerk, that’s the only thing he was, “GET OUT MUGEN!”

  
  
Her sudden outburst startled everyone. Mugen fell silent mid-insult, and the proprietess stopped herself in the middle of a swing that would have landed a blow to the back of the head that the pirate hadn’t seen coming. The customers stopped talking amongst themselves, and every set of eyes in the establishment turned toward the normally kind and sweet waitress. In this town, Fuu was known among the citizens as being gentle and soft spoken. Those who knew her best knew she could agitated at times. Mugen, who had traveled with her for a year had seen her lose her temper on numerous occasions. Though try as he might, he was having trouble recalling a single instance where she actually told him to leave, let alone screamed at him to.

  
  
“Get out.” Fuu muttered again, fists clenched at her sides, shaking in rage, and perhaps in emotional pain as well. She wasn’t going to cry, she told herself. Not over him, and certainly not when she was engaged. It didn’t matter what Mugen thought of her, because he wasn’t a part of her life. He hadn’t been for four years, “...out…”

  
  
“I ain’t leavin’ ‘til I get to eat. My dumplings ain’t here yet.” Mugen informed her stubbornly, folding his arms over his chest as he fixed a challenging stare on her.

  
  
At this point, the tea house’s owner was wondering if she should just throw the pirate out. Hiroshi had asked her to keep him from bothering Fuu, obviously she had failed in that mission. Yes, telling him to leave would be for the best. Leaning in the woman spoke softly, not wanting to upset her employee further, “Mugen-san, was it? I think you should go. You’ve gone and upset her. If you wait outside, I’ll bring your dumplings, and you can take them with you.”  
  
“San?” Mugen scoffed at the honorific, who the hell used honorifics with a marked criminal, “Don’t try buttering me up, hag. I ain’t leaving. I came in for a sit down meal, I’m stayin’ and eatin’.”

  
  
“No,” It was Fuu’s voice this time, shaking with her effort and failure to keep her tone steady, “You’re leaving. And not just the tea house. You’re leaving Edo as well. If the only reason you’re hanging around is to...to...try and disrupt my relationship with Hiroshi-kun….or...whatever the goal of your sick game is, then there’s no reason for you to be here.”

  
  
“Who died and made you Daimyo, Girly?” The pirate’s words carried an irritated edge, his steely eyes a dangerous glint. He didn’t like taking orders, and he certainly didn’t like the fact that this particular person was trying to order him out of the city. Out of her life, “You think I’m here to play a fuckin’ mind game? Don’t flatter yourself. I didn’t even know you were here when I came to Edo. I just came here lookin’ for a place ta eat and get outta the rain. I don’t give a fuck about you and Pretty Boy gettin’ married or not.”

  
  
“Oh?” Fuu’s eyes blazed as she fixed a glare on him, the owner’s scolding about swearing getting lost in the background, “Then what were you doing last night? I know that was you, so don’t deny it!”

  
  
Mugen blinked, suddenly at a loss for words. He’d known that the servant at the house had screamed, but he didn’t know that Fuu knew the intruder was him! And he certainly didn’t expect it to be brought up, especially in public! He fixed a glinting glare on her in return, “What makes you so sure whoever you’re talkin’ about was me, huh, Girly?”

  
  
“Oh, I’m sure,” Fuu scoffed at him, “Not many people could confuse a description of you with someone else! So what the hell were you doing there?”

  
“I was….I….” He was listening in to hear what shit they were talking about him. That’s why he’d gone in, wasn’t it? He should just tell her the damn truth! Except, it suddenly occurred to him that he should have left a lot sooner than he did if all he wanted was proof that they were talking shit. It was clear that they’d been having a family dinner to discuss the engagement, from the time he’d started listening it was clear. So why hadn’t he left earlier?

  
  
“You were…?” Fuu prompted, her gaze shifting from harsh to curious with a touch of exasperation. She’d never known Mugen not to have a ready retort. Yet here he was fumbling to come up with an answer. What on earth was going on. For some reason, she had the sudden sensation of butterflies in her stomach.

  
  
“I was-” Mugen started again, but whether he had an actual reply or not, she’d never know. Because at that moment he was cut off by someone else rushing into the tea house.

  
  
“Fuu-chan? Are you alright?” Wide, dark brown eyes took in the suddenly silent scene as the new arrival looked for any cause for concern. Well, any cause besides the vagrant at the table across the establishment from where Fuu stood. No wonder he had heard the shouts from down the street.

  
  
“Hiroshi-kun?” The waitress blinked in surprise as her fiance walked in on the scene. He had said he would pick her up when she was done, but this was just the lunch rush, which should have been winding down if it hadn’t been for the distractions caused by Mugen’s arrival. She still had until the dinner rush was over before she would be finished. Such were the hassles of working for a small tea house, “Hiroshi-kun, you’re here very early, I don’t get off until-”

  
  
“It’s a good thing I stopped for lunch, then.” Hiroshi interupted her, crossing to Fuu’s side, sending the proprietress across the room a subtle look that told her they would be having words later.

  
  
“Tch.” The slight sound of disgust was all that was heard from the pirate before he suddenly stood and stormed out of the establishment, not drinking so much as a sip of his tea, and not waiting for his dumplings after all. That was a definite sign to the owner of the shop. Things had gotten a lot more complicated when that rogue came into town.

  
  
A clap of the proprietress’ hands broke the tension in the room, “Alright then, that was exciting! Fuu-chan, why don’t you get your fiance a seat! You can join him for lunch, I’ll take care of the rest of this crowd myself! But once you’re done with your lunch break, it’s back to work, Fuu-chan!”

  
  
Fuu let her anger, confusion and frustration out in a single long sigh, allowing it to leave the tea house with Mugen, then nodded at her employer’s instructions. Taking her fiance by the hand, she led him to a vacant table along the outside wall, “I’m glad you stopped by, Hiroshi-kun. And, gomen. I guess I had a harder time with my promise than I thought I would.”

  
  
“At least you’re safe.” Hiroshi replied with a smile as he settled in beside her at the table. He was worried though, behind his warm expression. Every moment that Fuu had to interact with Mugen was a moment that could end in disaster. He had no real fear of the former body guard harming her. He had his suspicions where other matters were concerned though.

  
  
After lunch, Hiroshi bid a polite farewell to his fiance, kissing her upon the brow, and bowing to the owner of the tea house before departing. He didn’t wander far, though. He doubted Mugen would return to her place of employ any time soon, and certainly not during her current shift, but he couldn’t be too careful. He would keep out of Fuu’s line of sight, patrolling the surrounding area until it was time for her to get off, then pick her up.

  
  
The rest of the day passed without incident. Hiroshi made certain it remained that way by entering the tea house right as dinner rush was ending and taking a seat near the door to wait for Fuu. He had to walk her home without a doubt now. After the shouting match earlier in the day, her rough comrade was definitely going to try to approach her again. She would walk no where by herself, he vowed that.

 

No mention of the incident was made at dinner with his parents. After all, neither Fuu nor her betrothed wanted them to find out the truth about Mugen and his connection to the journey four years ago. After they had finished eating, the brunette gave a polite bow, quickly excusing herself to her room. She wanted to write to Jin as soon as possible. If she was going to get married, and she was, then she expected him to be there after all.


	6. Correspondence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fuu writes to Jin and Shino about recent events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE 1: Okay, latest chapter. I hope the format works out all right. And I hope my portrayal of Jin and Shino turns out to be to your liking!
> 
>  
> 
> NOTE 2: The more time I spend looking back on my own story, the more I adore Otou-san as a character. <3

_Dear Jin and Shino,_

_It’s been awhile since I’ve written to you, huh? I hope you’re both still doing well. I’ll have to come see your new home soon! But, I won’t be able to travel for a bit, I have an important event to plan, which is one of the reason’s for this letter. Another reason is to let you know that I won’t be at my apartment. I’ll still be in Edo though! So any messenger should be able to find me._

_There’s so much to say! I suppose I’ll start by telling you what the important event I need to plan is, since you’re probably dying of curiosity! Brace yourselves for some exciting news, you might want to sit down if you aren’t already. I’m getting married! Of course I want you two to be there, which is why I had to write you as soon as possible after becoming engaged._

_The next thing you’re probably wondering is who I’m marrying and how it came about. Well, I believe I’ve mentioned in past letters a frequent customer at the tea house where I work, a samurai’s son by the name of Gijouhei Hiroshi. I guess he used to stop in once and a while before I got a job there, then after I started working I remember the owner (oh, you’ll like her! She’s a strong woman with a heart of gold!) mentioning in casual conversation that he had begun to visit more regularly. Of course, being a waitress it’s my job to be friendly and talk to the customers as well as bring them their orders, so naturally, over time, I got to know Hiroshi-kun better. I never guessed that he felt anything more than friendship, though. Not until he suddenly confessed his feelings for me and proposed yesterday! I was startled to say the least, but that’s not the only reason my reply took a few moments._

_Of course, who would pick the most memorable day of my life so far to come walking into the tea house where I work and ruin the moment? That big jerk Mugen! I haven’t seen him for four years, and he comes in and starts acting like a complete idiot, just like he used to. Hiroshi-kun got so mad he almost tried to start a fight. Of course, even if he is a huge creep, Mugen is still one of the two best swordsmen I know (Jin being the other of course) and would kill Hiroshi-kun in an actual fight! I couldn’t let that happen, so I put a stop to it. Mugen seemed to be acting strange, though. He was probably just pissed that I spoiled his fun, because he left without even ordering anything._

_I did accept Hiroshi-kun’s proposal, of course, somewhere during the chaos. I wasn’t about to let Mugen spoil the moment completely! After I accepted, my new fiance invited me to meet his parents. I can’t say I wasn’t nervous. After all, he comes from a family of samurai that still serves the shogunate loyally. And, well, you know my past. Hiroshi-kun was quick to reassure me, though, and promised to marry me even if his family didn’t approve. Isn’t that just the sweetest, most romantic thing ever?_

_While his mother didn’t warm up to me right away, and I’m still not sure she has even as I write this, his father seemed to accept me. Even after hearing about my past, and the truth behind the sunflower samurai, he told me that as long as I loved Hiroshi-kun, then we had his blessing. It was nice, to be accepted by such a well respected family, or at least the majority of them. The only part of my story I left a bit out on was Mugen...I really don’t know how they’d take my association with someone like him._

_Speaking of that jerk, he managed to mess up two important moments in one day! Just as our engagement was earning the blessing of Hiroshi-kun’s father, one of the servant’s came running in screaming about an intruder in the kitchen. A criminal marked with blue rings. I only know one person who fits that description. I don’t know what that idiot hoped to gain by sneaking into the kitchen! He didn’t even steal anything!_

_Hiroshi-kun’s father insisted that I spend the night at their home, which is huge by the way, and I accepted even though I didn’t think Mugen would actually hurt me. If I put up to much of an argument, they would have realized that I had a connection to him! Hiroshi-kun insists that from now on, he must walk me to and from work. I don’t have a problem with it, not after what happened today._

_Everything was fine until lunch time. Hiroshi-kun had dropped me off at the tea house as promised that morning, and things were going very well. Then that jerk showed up! Of course he started making a scene as usual. I told him he should leave, and he refused like the overgrown child he is. It wasn’t until Hiroshi-kun stopped in for lunch that Mugen finally gave up and left. Hopefully I won’t have to deal with him anymore. He should be out of Edo in plenty of time before the wedding!_

_I’ll start planning for the ceremony and such right away of course. But we can’t set a date until we know when you’ll be here. I know I said I worried about Hiroshi-kun’s family finding out about Mugen’s role in my past, but I’m not worried about them meeting you at all, Jin! After all, you’re a well mannered, respectable man. And Shino-chan, I’m sure they won’t hold your former situation against you. It wasn’t your fault, and Jin rescued you so valiantly. Well, I might be expecting too much of Hiroshi-kun’s mother. But his father will greet you with open arms!_

_Please, write back soon to let me know when you can be here. The sooner the better, I can’t wait to become a bride!_

_Friends forever,_   
_Fuu_

Jin skimmed the letter another time as he sat in the dining area of his modest home. There weren’t many rooms, a main gathering area, a combined kitchen and dining room, and a bedroom. Of course he wasn’t counting the outhouse located in the backyard.

He arched a brow as he let his dark eyes wander the lengthy description of Fuu’s recent experiences. She always wrote such long letters, not that he didn’t appreciate being brought up to date, but surely she could be more concise. At least she included a date at the top of each tome-like letter. It was this numerical marking that allowed him to distinguish that the message had been written five days prior to his receiving it.That meant the person who had delivered it made rather good time, arriving in the small town where he and Shino resided in a mere four days. For someone on foot it took around twice that time, the messenger had been on horseback. A riding messenger cost more, Fuu must have been eager to get the news of her engagement to them. A subtle curve found his lips at the fact that the letter seemed to mention their former traveling companion about as often as it did her intended. The small fact was not lost on the ronin, “Hnn…”

Shino came in from the back yard, where she had been retrieving the laundry hung out to dry. Soft and seldom as her personal hero spoke, she never seemed to miss his verbalizations, however subtle they were. So it was no surprise that she heard his amused and contemplative utterance, “Jin? Is that another letter from Fuu-chan?”

The swordsman replied with a nod, setting the parchment on the table in front of him as he glanced at his wife. The elegant beauty slowly crouched to place the basket of laundry on the floor just inside their bedroom before making her way to the kitchen and dining area. Standing over her husband, she peered over his shoulder at the letter, “Good! It’s been far too long since we’ve heard from her! What does she have to say?”

Replying to this inquiry took a bit more that a syllable or a gesture on the ronin’s part. His gaze fixed on the letter he replied in a calm tone with a nearly imperceptible hint of underlying amusement, “She’s getting married...to a samurai’s son. Oh, and Mugen is in Edo, it seems.”

 

* * *

 

There had been no sign of Mugen for the last two weeks. Hiroshi had walked Fuu to and from work, as well as anywhere else she had needed to travel. She was never left unattended. In honesty, it was slightly annoying. Though, she did appreciate the concern, she missed her privacy, a privilege which she now only found herself able to indulge in in her own room.

Sometimes, the waitress would think she saw her former bodyguard. A flash of red that just had to be his haori, a glimpse of unruly dark hair just up ahead in the crowd that disappeared among the throngs too soon.She had told him to leave. Leave the tea house, leave Edo. Since when did he listen to what he was told though? She didn’t expect him to come crawling back and apologize. That wasn’t something Mugen would do, she knew that. But somehow, she thought she might just spot him waiting for a chance to get her alone, not that that chance would ever come with the way she was being treated. Still, he should have lasted at least a week or two with his stubborn streak, but she hadn’t seen him since their shouting match.

The brunette sighed as she flopped back against the wood of the porch that wrapped around her fiance’s home. Her future father in law was sitting outside with her, watching the sky slowly shift from blue to gold. His deep brown eyes seemed to reflect the golden hue of the evening heavens as he turned to look at her, “Don’t you sound exasperated.”

As though she had forgotten she wasn’t alone, like she could, she quickly sat up, blushing slightly at his comment, “Is it that obvious?”

“You’re tired of being followed constantly,” The regal looking samurai reasoned, shrugging his shoulders as he looked back toward the horizon, “I can’t say I don’t understand. You don’t have the same freedom you used to have, and you must miss it terribly. But Hiroshi is only looking out for you. He doesn’t want anything bad to happen. I know it’s been fairly calm since the break in, but we can’t be too cautious. Now that you’re connected to our family, you could become a target in a scheme for revenge or extortion. So, until this marked criminal is found, or it can be proven that he is no longer in Edo...then it is better safe than sorry.”

Fuu frowned sadly, pulling her knees to her chest. Once more she was wrapped in her pink kimono, preferring to save the nicer green one for special occasions. Her chin rested in the divot left between her knees, the waitress looked at the gate rather than the shifting hues of the sky. She was pretty sure Mugen was gone. She couldn’t prove it though. So it looked like she was stuck with an escort. Strange, though, how she hadn’t found bodyguards annoying four years ago. She’d been more annoyed during the times when they would leave her alone.

As she watched the gate, she saw a shadow approaching. Even in the distance, she could tell it was a figure on horseback, and as it drew nearer her suspicions were confirmed. A messenger on a chestnut mare rode up to the gate, grateful to have found some of the residents outside. He’d gone to the tea house in search of Fuu, but been told she had already ended her shift, and directed to the large house. Being the master of the house, it was the task of her future father in law to approach the messenger, which he did before exchanging a few words at the gate, then beckoning Fuu over, “Fuu-chan, it seems you have a letter.”

The brunette wasted no time in rushing to the gate, bowing gratefully to the man on horseback as she accepted the letter, which was given over with an equally polite gesture, though the bow was limited by his perch upon the mare. His task done, the messenger wheeled his horse about and made his way down the street as best as he could in such a crowded city.

Fuu didn’t even wait for him to depart before racing to the porch. She knew who the letter was from, whom it had to be from! It was a response from Jin and Shino! Of course, she couldn’t open and read it on the veranda, they were likely to make some comment on Mugen’s insensitive interruptions of her precious moments. And if her future in laws found out about the vagrants role in her past...she cast a glance over her shoulder at the samurai who was moving back into his prior position as she opened the door, “I’m going to my room now, G-”

Before she could even get the first syllable of his surname out, the imposing man had silenced her with a stern look, “Fuu-chan...you are to marry my son. What have I told you to address me as?”

“O-otou-san.” She murmured, blushing slightly. She had spent so much of her life without a father, it felt strange to call Hiroshi’s her own. But, it was what he had asked of her. And if she was marrying into the family, she could do that. Because Hiroshi’s father would be her father, “I’m going to my room, then, Otou-san.”

“Alright, Fuu-chan.” He smiled warmly at her, “Go, read your letter in peace.”

With a bright smile and a nod, the waitress stepped through the door, kicked off her sandals, shut the door behind her and fled to her room. She rushed past Hiroshi’s mother on the way, and seeing as she had been asked to refer to his father as her own, she automatically called out a quick, “Good evening Okaa-san!”

“I am not your-” But the door to Fuu’s room had slid shut before the sentence could be finished, leaving the samurai’s wife glaring at the shoji, “Mother.”

Once she finally had some privacy, the brunette quickly went to work reading the reply from her dear friends. A quick scan over the general length of the letter told her Shino had likely written it. Jin tended to be very brief, so she guessed that while he had given his input on what to include, Shino had elaborated some.

_Dear Fuu,_

_That certainly is exciting news. I knew you would catch someone’s eye before too long. But remember, there’s no need to rush the wedding. You want to be certain you really know him before you marry him. You didn’t tell much of anything about him in the letter at all, other than that he is a samurai’s son._

_As for the other man in your life showing up, perhaps he was drawn there? Fate works wonders. Given his childish behavior whenever your fiance is around, I’d almost think he’s j---_

Fuu squinted hard at that part of the letter. It was obviously written by Shino, the warning about rushing into marriage made that clear. But what was this about Mugen and fate and what was that last attempt at a word? She tilted her head, then the letter. It looked like no sooner had she made the first stroke or two than the brush she was using was snatched from her grasp. There were a few stray drops of ink that supported this conclusion. But why on earth would Jin have done something like that? It couldn’t have been an intruder who interrupted her writing, because the letter went on, though it picked up with a new sentence, and made no mention that she could see with her quick glance of anything happening. How strange. With a shrug and a sigh, she went back to reading.

_Of course we will be there as soon as possible. You know you are like family to us, so we wouldn’t want to miss it. It make take us longer than the usual amount of time to get there. We have a little surprise of our own for you. You’d probably know about it by now if you’d written sooner, but because you put off writing for so long, it’s a surprise now._

_We’ll be leaving as soon as we’re able, and are sending this letter ahead by horseback messenger. I’m not certain when we’ll arrive, but we’ll find you when we do._

_See you soon,_   
_Jin and Shino_

Well, no matter what happened in the middle of the letter, the contents in general left a happy smile on Fuu’s face. She couldn’t help but feel slightly giddy for multiple reasons. First there was the fact that Jin had found his own happiness, and with it, Shino’s. The girl who had seemed so sad when they saved her from the brothel, so broken by the abuse of her former husband, was now a cheerful bride to the former bodyguard, at least if the tone of the letter was anything to go by. Next was obviously the idea that she would soon be meeting with Jin again for the first time in four years! Letters were nice, but seeing him face to face with his wife would be wonderful! A tiny hint of bitterness slipped into her thoughts as she told herself seeing the ronin would be a million times better than her reunion with the pirate had been. That bitterness slid out of her mind just as fast though as she revelled in the notion that soon she would be just as happy as them, because she too would have a person who loved her to share her life with! And she love him too, she told herself. Of course she did. That was necessary.

 

* * *

 

Mugen didn’t like being told what to do. And he wasn’t about to listen to that dumb bitch just because she tried to chase him out of town. He’s stay as long as he damn well pleased! But, he didn’t go in the tea house again. Even the pirate knew that if he showed up in there, she’d throw a fit, and things could get out of hand fast. Of course, it would probably only turn into a screaming match, unless her precious fiance showed up, at which point he might get in a bit of a work out with his blade. But somehow he doubted Fuu would be happy if he tested the edge of his sword on her lover boy. Not that he cared what she thought. He didn’t really give a damn about that stupid girl at all, which meant he could slice Pretty Boy in half any time he wanted to. But it wasn’t worth the effort, since he doubted the samurai’s son could put up a decent fight anyway. Still, the tea house was not someplace he wanted to go again, not at this point in time.

So he lurked on the streets. The fact that Lover Boy was going to such great lengths to keep him away from Fuu just made it that much more tempting to get her alone. Not that he’d do anything. He didn’t have any desire to actually do anything to the girl. She wasn’t his type. Sure, she’d gotten something of a figure since they’d last seen each other four years ago, but it wasn’t really that big a difference. He just wanted to mess with the Junior Samurai a bit. So, he kept to the shadows and waited for a chance to make an approach.

But they never left her the fuck alone! Every day he was with her in the morning when she went to work, and in the evening when she came home. On the rare days she had off, he traveled to the market with her. If he was unavailable, someone else was with her! Given the age and build of the guy, he was guessing him to be Senior Samurai. His guess was confirmed, sort of...it actually confused him some, not that he’d admit it...when he overheard Fuu calling the other man Otou-san. Well, he knew for a fact that the guy walking with her wasn’t the Sunflower guy. Sunflower guy had been killed four years ago, and that had been her old man. So for her to call someone Otou-san meant that that person had to be the father of Pretty Boy...right? Great, he was getting a headache.

Mugen was very careful never to let Fuu see him when he was following her around Edo. If she caught him, and was still pissed off, she’d rat him out to Junior Samurai. Then the fighting would start, and he’d have to kill a bitch. Well, a mini samurai. The bitch would probably live, but bawl her eyes out. Not that he cared.

He knew that Girly was in communication with someone. He’d seen her getting a messenger, and not just any messenger, but one of horseback. Those cost extra, he was pretty sure. He could hardly read or write, so he didn’t actually use messengers. But horses went faster than people on foot. So it made sense they’d cost extra. Who the hell was she sending letters too? It wasn’t important or anything, he was just a bit curious. It was probably wedding invitations for Hiro-whathisface’s extended family or something.

She was getting messages too, once again delivered on horseback. He’d seen the direction the chestnut mare was heading. The house Fuu was staying in was in that direction. So, discretely as possible, he’d followed, lingering on the edge of the business district as he watched the messenger come to a stop outside the gate, Senior Samurai called Fuu over, and she excitedly took the letter and rushed into the house. She definitely wasn’t sending invitations to her future extended family.

Mugen slumped in an alleyway between two buildings, pondering. Who the hell was she sending letters to that she was so excited about? Somehow, he didn’t figure she’d cheat on a man if she actually managed to get her hooks into one. So it wasn’t a lover on the side. The idea almost made him laugh. She might be living in Pretty Boy’s house, but the pirate was pretty sure she was as virginal as ever. She was a priss like that. All chaste and save it for her husband and shit. Yeah, no one’s getting near that until the wedding night. A frown creased his brow as he realized that it probably wasn’t for lack of trying on Junior Samurai’s part. He’d moved her in with him, so he must be hoping to get some action. And for some reason, that rubbed the rogue the wrong way. Maybe he could use this whole letter thing to his advantage and make Lover Boy think that Fuu was cheating on him, even if she wasn’t? It would probably end the engagement, and any risk of that horny son of a samurai trying to get in her kimono.

Then again, Fuu would probably never speak to Mugen again either.

“Tch, good riddin’s” The vagrant muttered, leaning against the wall and folding his arms behind his head as he closed his eyes. For some reason, though, he seemed to have forgotten about the idea of setting Fuu up to look like a cheater somewhere in his swirl of thoughts.


	7. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin and Shino arrive in Edo with a little surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting updates. Been in kinda a funk...that's not an adequate excuse, but hey.

Fuu lay on her back in the middle of the room she had been staying in at Hiroshi’s family home. Her limbs were sprawled as she glared at the ceiling with furrowed brow, a tight frown on her features. Four weeks. She hadn’t been truly alone in four weeks! The time spent in her room couldn’t be counted, it wasn’t actual freedom if she was cooped up inside. It was feeling more like prison every day. Hiroshi kept insisting it was for her protection. Otou-san tried to keep her from being too antsy, explaining that they still didn’t know the purpose for the break in the night she had first come to meet the family. She wanted to scream at the elder male, to tell him she knew exactly who had broken in, even if she didn’t know why, and that the idiot was long gone by now! But she couldn’t. Even though her future father in law seemed reasonable and accepting, there was no guarantee that he could forgive her willing association with a known criminal and pirate as easily as he had the fact that she was born to a Christian. So she couldn’t vent at Otou-san without risking everything.

  
The same should have been true for Hiroshi, he was the man she intended to marry after all. Unfortunately, he was also the one who had effectively placed her under house arrest. Since that first day that he requested she stay with him and allow him to escort her to and from work, she had been trying to avoid a fight. They never fought as friends, and she really would rather not express that part of herself towards him. After three days of constant chaperoning, it was getting annoying as hell. After the first week that passed with no further sign of Mugen, she tried to calmly reason with her intended, explaining that certainly her former bodyguard had left Edo, since they hadn’t seen him. Of course, Hiroshi had calmly replied that it was better to be safe than sorry. By the end of her second week of what amounted to incarceration, she was beginning to get short tempered, often snapping sharp retorts to inquiries and statements that didn’t warrant such harshness.  
  
The letter that had arrived from Jin and Shino had eased her ire somewhat, at least for a brief while. Instead of her lack of solitude, she focused instead on the fact that her second, more tolerable, bodyguard and his wife would be arriving soon. And they had a surprise for her! Thinking of the letter eventually brought her back around to the unfinished sentence that Shino had left about Mugen, however. That brought her back to the reason for her continuous entourage, which in turn made her irritated once more. A mere two days of peace, and no alone time, was all the arrival of the letter earned the engaged couple before Fuu’s wrath was back worse than ever. So by the middle of the third week, she was having full on shouting matches with Hiroshi regarding her desire to be let out alone, or at least to be accompanied by one of the servants rather than he or his father!  
  
It put a strain on their relationship, certainly. And often Fuu would end up in tears, not because Hiroshi would physically harm her, he would never even think of such a thing, but because she was worried she would destroy everything. Never had a man been in love with her. Sure, she’d been kidnapped, taken to brothels, and even inspired some rather provocative artwork. But that wasn’t the same as being genuinely loved. Hiroshi told her he loved her, he wanted to marry her! She couldn’t stand the thought of losing that! At the sight of her tears, the samurai’s son would inevitably try to comfort her, murmuring soft words. They were never quite apologies, but rather explanations, pleas and offers to teach her to defend herself. The last in that list would intrigue her, of course. If she could defend herself, then she wouldn’t need escorted constantly! But whenever she would ask to start learning he would unfortunately be unable to provide a lesson for one reason or another. Eventually she just stopped asking, because that started leading to more fights.  
  
So here she was, in her fourth week of house arrest, because what else could such a living arrangement be called? She’d tried to think of a way to sneak out, really she had. But going out through the hallway at her first night in the house, she’d been caught by her betrothed. Sure, she’d made it onto the streets and had a chance to look for Mugen for awhile. But she’d still be caught. And she obviously couldn’t waltz out through the main door during the day without finding an escort by her side. She’d thought about using a servant’s entrance...but she was pretty sure that she would be spotted by a maid, who would of course tell Hiroshi or Otou-san. The window in her room wasn’t exactly a good option. During the day, she could easily be spotted from the room beneath hers if she dropped down. She’d come to discover that Hiroshi’s mother liked to spend time there, and that wouldn’t do at all. The vile woman was still looking for a way to sabotage their engagement, even if she didn’t actively say anything. Fuu could see the delight on her future mother in law’s face whenever a spat broke out between the betrothed pair. Fleeing through the window at night wasn’t much better. The design of the house put her room in a position where none of the lights that may have lingered into the darkness from main Edo could reach it. So, she would be dropping from a second story window into darkness, not a thought that appealed to her. Besides, options for activities at night were so limited. It would be rather boring, so she’d much rather have her alone time during the day.  
  
With no escape options, and tired of the constant company, Fuu had taken to isolating herself in her room more and more often. She’d leave to dine with the family, and spend a period of time in the yard with Otou-san each evening watching the twilight paint the heavens. And of course, she had to go to work, which meant being accompanied by Hiroshi or his father during the walk. Then, so as not to let her intended believe she was entirely avoiding him, she would make sure to spend some time with him each day other than the walk. But aside from those things, she kept to her room. It was insanely, mind numbingly boring, but it was time to herself at least. She had been refusing to go to the market even, which surprised everyone, since she loved to stalk up on food to eat as midday snacks for the days she didn’t work.  
  
On her last trip out that took her anywhere beside the tea house, she had visited a fabric vendors, and Hiroshi had bought her some rolls of cloth, even though she’d insisted she could pay for them herself. When he’d inquired what she would do with them, a small shrug was given as she told him that she knew how to sew enough to make a passable kimono, so she thought she would make a few in order to expand both her wardrobe, and her ability as a seamstress. He’d seemed genuinely impressed, since she’d never mentioned being able to sew before. His smile of approval faltered slightly when she mentioned that she’d gotten better at working a needle during her travels since she’d had to patch up Jin and Mugen, as well as their clothes.  
  
Large brown eyes drifted from the ceiling to land on the pile of cloth in their peripheral. She’d actually wanted to work on sewing kimono to give her something to pass time in her room, though the reasons she’d given to her fiancé weren’t entirely false. Yet the fabric was still bundled in the corner, untouched. She spent more time sprawled on the floor contemplating ways to regain her freedom then she did doing anything constructive.  
  
Four weeks. Not a sign of Mugen in four weeks. And still, Hiroshi wouldn’t let her go unguarded. It was ridiculous! Like there was really anyone after her! In four years she hadn’t been attacked or kidnapped, which was strange considering how often it had happened during her travels during the year prior. But it still meant that she seemed to have broken her streak of misfortune by settling in Edo for good. How long would they have to go without a Mugen sighting for Hiroshi to let her leave alone?

 

* * *

 

  
  
Mugen stood in the red light district, staring into the barred window that displayed the wares of a prominent Edo brothel. His features were scrunched into an agitated frown. Four weeks. Four fucking weeks he’d been in one place. It was more than enough to make the man antsy. He was used to wandering, and hanging in one city made him nervous. Why the hell was he still here? A better question, though, was why, in the four weeks that he’d been here, had he come to the red light district at least four nights a week and not once actually entered the fucking brothel? Four nights a week for four weeks...that had to be like...twenty times he’d been here! Just standing around like an idiot who had no sex drive! He’d had to start doing his window shopping at different brothels too, because he’d been chased away for not paying and just looking.  
  
At the moment, he stared at the chick nearest to where he stood. She was totally his type. Big tits, nice ass, sexy curves, she was every guys dream. And for some reason, he just didn’t feel the need to go in and get laid. Of course, the prices at this particular whore house were ridiculous, so he probably couldn’t afford her anyway. Still, the hooker was over there, winking and flirting and waving him over all cute and coy, and what was he doing about it? Nothing; he was just standing there scowling at her in reply. Eventually, the broad just gave up and tried to lure in another customer.  
  
Shifting his stormy gaze to the side, the pirate confirmed that he had indeed seen someone approaching in his peripheral; one of the brothel’s bouncers about to tell him off most likely. Normally, he’d pick a fight for the hell of it. But for some reason, he didn’t want to get run out of Edo just yet, even if Fuu had already tried to do so. Stupid bitch had no say in whether he stayed or went, so he’d hang around as long as he gods damn pleased! Before the bouncer could reach him he held up a hand to wave him off, though he did take some satisfaction in giving the guy the finger in the process, as he turned to leave.  
  
Making his way out of the pleasure district, Mugen began to wander through the streets of Edo. He wasn’t sure exactly where he was going, though his course seemed to draw him toward the far end of the city. It was past time for her to be off work, way past time. The sun was down, but it wasn’t so late that all the businesses had shut down, so there were still lanterns providing light enough to navigate the streets by, at least the main ones. He made sure to avoid those as he found an alley with a view of the house Fuu was staying at. He didn’t even know why the hell he was here. He didn’t care if he got to see her, and even if he did he knew he wouldn’t. She didn’t come outside this late.  
  
What surprised him though was a shadowy pair of figures passing through the lights provided by the lanterns on the main street as they approached that very same house. There wasn’t as much luminance once they left the city proper to approach the large house. And for a second he doubted that he’d seen what he thought he did. He blinked, rubbing his eyes and then looked at the silhouettes again as they traversed the darkness and emerged into the light provided by the lanterns posted on the gate.  
  
Well shit! Though he didn’t know the first figure, only recognizing it as a woman, he definitely knew the second!

 

* * *

  
  
Hiroshi frowned into his nighttime cup of green tea. Fuu had locked herself in her room again. She had taken to doing so quite often in the last week, and it was frustrating beyond all reason! Sure, she made certain to maintain a regular routine of work and spending time with him and his family. But every free moment was spent in her self-made isolation chamber! He knew she didn’t like being cooped up or constantly watched. And, really, he felt bad for putting her something she so obviously loathed. But he didn’t see what choice he had. She kept insisting that vagrant was gone...Hiroshi knew better.  
  
After having patrolled the tea house area in secret during her work hours for the first week after the last incident with Mugen, the samurai’s son had determined that it was most likely safe to leave the establishment unguarded for the most part. He would still stay nearby, just in case, but his patrols were no longer required. Even he had begun to think they were safe at that point, having not spotted the criminal at all during that time. He would keep escorting her another week to be safe.  
  
They continued to be mostly unbothered around the tea house, which left him with a sense of ease, until part way through the second week, when they were going to the market. Even though he had tried to tell Fuu shortly after having her come to stay with him that the maids took care of buying and preparing the food, she insisted that she would purchase some for herself. He didn’t argue too much, knowing that she did have a healthy appetite, even if it did seem to have diminished lately. While she perused a selection of vegetable that one vendor had to offer, Hiroshi took the opportunity to scan their surroundings, more out of boredom than actual alarm.  
  
That was when he spotted it: a flash of red. The person to whom the garment belonged tried to escape his vision, but being the son of a samurai had its advantages. He was able to follow the form easier than one with an untrained eye might. It didn’t take long for the red to vanish amid the crowd, but before it did, Hiroshi was able to discern a few very important traits that went along with that tidbit of color: dark skin, bushy hair, the gleam of a sword hilt...and most importantly a quick glimpse of blue the same shade as the vagrant’s tattoos. The threat was still present. He would have to keep a close watch on Fuu.  
  
Staring hard into his cup of tea, Hiroshi sighed heavily. He was being selfish, he knew. But, he also knew that he could provide a much better life for Fuu than a wander pirate ever could. And he knew that if Fuu left him for her former bodyguard, she would only end up being hurt in the end. Men like Mugen...they didn’t stay for the long run. They knew nothing of honor and loyalty. So, in the end...in the end, the samurai’s son was doing the right thing, wasn’t he?  
  
Suddenly, a soft knock sounded at the door. Who on earth could be visiting at this hour? It wasn’t as though his family lacked friends, but they didn’t usually make house calls, and certainly not after dark. Just as Hiroshi was stepping into the main hallway from the dining room, his parents were entering from the sitting room. They exchanged curious glances before Otou-san moved forward to answer, sliding the shoji aside to reveal a man and woman.  
  
While his mother and father were clearly still puzzled; recognition dawned on Hiroshi’s face as he moved to stand beside his father. A quick once over of the man before the door told him all he needed to know to confirm his suspicions, “You’re Jin-san, aren’t you? Fuu-chan has spoken so often about you, I’d know you anwhere!”  
  
“Then you are Hiroshi-san, correct?” The ronin at the door replied in a calm and even tone, trying not to let the look he cast over the young man in the entrance betray the silent appraisal he was giving. Fuu hadn’t written much about her fiancé in the letter they had received. At first glance, he judged the boy to appear strong; though not enough so to protect her in the same way he and Mugen had managed to. Still, at least he would not be completely helpless to guard the girl against harm. He wasn’t much of a judge when it came to the appearance of other males, so he would leave Shino to determine if the boy was handsome. But he could tell that the other male was kind, though perhaps a bit forward, and obviously took care to listen when Fuu spoke of her past and interests.  
  
“Yes, that’s me.” Hiroshi bowed slightly in greeting, then turned to his parents, “Otou-san, Okaa-san, this is Jin-san, Fuu-chan’s former bodyguard.”  
  
Jin gave a bow in return to the introductions, “It is a pleasure to meet you.”  
  
“And this is his wife, Shino-san,” The samurai’s son turned to give the woman next to Jin a quick once over, “At least I would hope she is his wife.”  
  
Shino couldn’t help but laugh slightly as a blush overtook her husband’s cheeks at the suggestion that she might be someone other than his spouse, “I am. It is nice to meet you, Hiroshi-san, and your parents as well. I know it is late to stop by, but we wondered if we might see Fuu-chan?”  
  
“Hn.” Jin confirmed, still very embarrassed about the earlier joke at his expense. Really, it had been very improper on the boy’s part. But, he supposed a sense of humor was a good quality in a match for Fuu.  
  
“I am a bit surprised you came this far at this hour.” It was Otou-san’s turn to speak as he smiled at the pair outside the door, stepping aside and signaling that his son should do the same as he ushered the guests in, “If you are friends of Fuu-chan, then of course you are welcome in our home. Hiroshi, see if your intended is still awake. I’ll see if I can’t get a maid to set up a room for these two.”  
  
“No need to trouble yourself with a room.” The ronin didn’t want to impose on the people who were accepting Fuu into their family. He had merely wished to check on her and make certain she really was alright. In honesty, he would have been willing to wait until morning, but Shino had insisted they pay a visit the night of their arrival, claiming that Jin would not be able to rest properly knowing that he was in Edo and had not yet checked on his good friend. He wasn’t sure if that was true or not, but either way, he had agreed not to delay.  
  
“Nonsense,” A smile and a glance were given in Shino’s direction, “Traveling with your wife as you are, you shouldn’t be wandering into the night. And we have the extra room. If it bothers you, you can find somewhere else to stay tomorrow, but for tonight, you’ll remain here!”  
  
Shifting a sideways look at his bride, Jin sighed and relented, giving a nod as he stepped into the house, the former prostitute following after him. With that matter settled, the samurai and his son set off to perform their designated tasks.  
  
“Oh! Hiroshi-san! Please don’t give away the surprise to Fuu-chan!” The young man paused on the stairs, turning in confusion to Shino. The woman gave him a look that made it very clear what the surprise she spoke of was. He nodded and hurried the rest of the way to Fuu’s room.

 

* * *

  
  
Fuu lay on her side now, on arm curled beneath her head to act as a pillow, her legs tucked close against her backside, as she stared at the pile of untouched fabrics. She could hear voices downstairs, but they were muted. She thought there were extra people in the house, but she couldn’t be sure. The sound of feet on the stairs reached her ears, then a voice that rose louder than the previous ones. The approaching steps paused, but Fuu didn’t notice as she suddenly sat up. She wasn’t as familiar with the spoken tones, but she knew who it was! The words that had been spoken told her clearly that they were here at last!  
  
The sound of feet on stairs had returns, but again she failed to notice. The waitress was too busy leaping up and hurrying to her door, throwing it up and racing into the hall where she nearly collided with Hiroshi, “Oh!”  
  
“Ah!” Her fiancé blinked wide eyed as he was almost bowled over by the very woman he had come to retrieve. When they had recovered from the surprise of their near impact, he gave a laugh, “I guess you’re awake then! I also suppose you figured out that we have guests.”  
  
His betrothed grinned excitedly at him, “I didn’t think they’d show up today! I mean, it’s already dark!”  
  
The samurai’s son couldn’t help but note that it was the first really happy expression he’d seen on her face in at least two weeks. It was rather disappointing that it wasn’t because of him. Then again, he knew that he was the source of her unhappiness at the moment. But he reminded himself that in the end, it was all for her sake, “I’d almost forgotten that you’d told me they were coming into the city. Come on, they wanted to see you.”  
  
Fuu looked at the hand her intended had offered her. It would be offensive to refuse, she knew, but at the same time, she was already feeling rather smothered by him. But he loved her, and she had to keep it that way. Because no other man had ever loved her, and she couldn’t risk losing the one who did; so she reached out and took his hand with a warm smile in his direction, allowing him to lead her down the stairs.  
  
When they reached the main hallway, Hiroshi’s mother was standing there, quite upset at yet another guest being welcomed into her home without anyone even consulting her! The orphan girl was bad enough without dragging her bodyguards in off the street as well! Ignoring the petulant expression on her features, her son inquired as to the location of their guests, and was silently directed to the dining room by way of a pointing finger.  
  
Upon entering, Fuu found Jin and Shino sitting at the table with a cup of green tea each. The single maid who worked in the evening and through the night had served them before going off to set up their room. Seeing his old traveling companion enter, Jin set down his cup, and gracefully rose to greet her. He didn’t take more than a few steps towards the girl, who was standing just inside the entrance covering her mouth with joyfully shining eyes. He wasn’t able to make it any further even if he had wanted to, because at that point, said girl flung herself across the room at him and hugged him with all her might, nearly sending him toppling backwards.  
  
“Jin!” He was really here! She’d written letters back and forth since they had both found places to settle, but she hadn’t actually seen him in four years! And now he was here! Hesitantly the reserved ronin gave a quick hug in return, signaling that it was time for her to release him, which she did with a happy laugh.  
  
Hiroshi wasn’t as jealous as he might have been at this display of affection toward the bespectacled former bodyguard. There were a few reasons. First of all, Jin was married, and quite apparently happily so. Then there was the fact that any time Fuu spoke about this particular body guard, her tone held more of a sisterly affection than any romantic interest. And any lingering doubts were soothed away by the fact that the girl and the ronin had been exchanging letters for so long that they could easily have gone to one another had they wanted. That had never happened, so clearly they did not desire one another.  
  
Still, Jin cast an apologetic look towards the younger male. While the ronin was not a jealous man himself, he understood that Hiroshi was. And he certainly didn’t want the other to get the wrong idea. A small shrug from the younger said that all was okay, and the two men turned their attention to observing Fuu as she went to greet Shino.  
  
“Shino! I haven’t seen you since we-“ Since the former brothel girl hadn’t risen to meet her, Fuu had gone to her instead. She tucked her legs and sat down as she was speaking, but cut herself off abruptly at the sight that greeted her, her eyes growing wide, “Shino!”  
  
“Surprise!” Shino greeted with a beaming smile and a hint of laughter. As the other woman continued to gape at her, even Jin couldn’t help but smiling, and even letting a small chuckle slip.  
  
“Wha-...how did...I mean I know how...but...when did this happen!” Fuu asked in astonishment as she placed a small hand on Shino’s swollen abdomen, rubbing it slightly through the soft fabric of the other’s kimono.  
  
“Around six months ago, if the estimates are right,” The pregnant woman cast a tender smile toward her husband as their friend’s hand continued to smooth its way around her belly, only to suddenly be jerked away as the other girl let out a sharp squeak of surprise, “It’s alright, Fuu-chan, it’s just the baby kicking.”  
  
Hiroshi couldn’t help the slightly dreamy look that came over his face while he watched his betrothed’s apparent wonder at the prospect of the new life inside of Shino. He could imagine the same wonder as a life grew within Fuu one day; her bright and beautiful reactions to everything, from finding out that she was to be a mother, to feeling the infant move within her. Even though he’d heard that birthing a child could be horribly painful, a tale he rather wished his mother hadn’t shared with him about his own entry into the world, he dared to let his dream haze over that part and watch his future bride’s utter joy as she held their first child.  
  
“Congratulations, Jin! And Shino, you too of course! I can’t believe you’re having a baby! It’s so exciting! Isn’t that right, Hiroshi-kun?” Here she turned to see her intended staring at her with a dazed and goofy expression. Scrunching her face into an expression of concern, Fuu waved her hand, trying to snap him out of his...whatever state he was in...without having to move from Shino’s side, “Hiroooooshi-kuuun!”  
  
The samurai’s son blinked and snapped out of his thoughts, blushing slightly at how carried away he had gotten! He and Fuu weren’t even married yet! Yes, they were going to be, but he shouldn’t be planning their family so far in advance, and certainly not without discussing the matter with her. Which could be done some time when company wasn’t present, “Ah, sorry, Fuu-chan. I guess I let my mind wander a bit.”  
  
“It’s alright,” His fiancé smiled, though the expression barely masked her lingering concern, “I was just saying it’s exciting that Jin and Shino are having a baby.”  
  
“Yes,” He agreed, smiling at her softly once more, though this time he didn’t fly off into day dreams, “A new life is an exciting thing for anyone.”


	8. A Welcome Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin and Shino take a turn to act as Fuu's escorts during an outing. And when Mugen makes an appearance things once more get tense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here's the next chapter! Enjoy~

The next morning, Fuu woke as had become habit. She slowly became aware of her consciousness and gave a slight groan of disappointment in knowing that this would be another day on the end of a metaphorical leash. After a few moments of laying with her eyes closed and willing her situation to be different, her gaze slowly drifted open to stare at the ceiling. It didn’t take more than a moment, however, for the twenty year old to sit bolt upright at the sound of voices from downstairs.

While being greeted with morning conversations that took place beyond her chambers was not an unusual occurrence, this morning it reminded her of something very special. She had guests of her own in the house. Quickly Fuu changed from the yukata she had slept in, to her usual pink kimono, and put her hair in its more adult style of a low bun. Then the woman bounded down the steps, taking them two at a time.

Hiroshi’s mother frowned as she caught sight of this most unladylike display from the corner of her eye, though the expression only lasted a moment before being replaced by a polite, if not friendly, smile. Around the table with Fuu’s future in laws sat Hiroshi, Jin and Shino, sipping tea and casually dining on their breakfast. It was the matron of the house who spoke first to latest addition to their morning gathering, “How nice of you to join us, Fuu-chan. I was beginning to wonder if you’d lost that...impressive...appetite.”

Jin frowned at this masked slight to his friend. That was one strike against her marrying into this family. A rude mother figure would not do. Of course, Hiroshi’s treatment of the girl he had once acted as bodyguard toward would be the ultimate test.

“Okaa-san! There’s no need for such behavior!” The youngest male at the table shot his mother a reproachful look, “Fuu-chan’s appetite is that of a healthy woman, not a half starved housewife focused on propriety. I prefer her the way she is, and I won’t have you belittling her...particularly not in front of her friends.”

The matriarch’s eyes widened at her son’s speaking out against her. He had not only displayed a clear preference for a tea house hussy over his own mother, but he had done so in a way that insulted her own eating habits! To cover up her indignity, the woman took a dainty mouthful of her food, chewed slowly, and swallowed as Fuu moved to sit at Hiroshi’s side. Once the waitress was settled, her future mother in law spoke once more, trying to make the venom in her words as subtle as possible, “Well then, eat, Fuu-chan...you must maintain your health after all.”

Hiroshi’s wicked glare towards the woman who had brought him into the world was not as subtle. Jin had to give the younger man full points for loyalty. He had chosen the girl he loved over his own mother’s vanity, it seemed, and the ronin could not find fault with that. It also did not escape the former bodyguard’s attention that the boy’s samurai father seemed to be trying to suppress a small smirk at the exchange. Well, it seemed he appreciated Fuu as much as his son did then, that was good as well.

“Fuu,” Jin spoke in his usual stoic tones as he gave a nod of greeting to his friend. That simple utterance of her name served to say so much, a greeting and inquiry after her well being all expressed in a single mention of her name, and glance her way.

“Good morning, Jin.” Fuu smiled softly in reply, letting him know that she was doing well, though he couldn’t help but notice a slight emptiness behind the gesture. A look exchanged with Shino conveyed that they shared the same thought.

“He get’s Jin with no honorifics,” Hiroshi sighed softly looking at his intended and drawing a sip of his tea before finishing the thoughts, “And I’m still being addressed as -kun. Not that I don’t appreciate the respect, Fuu, and it’s adorable, but can’t you just call me Hiroshi?”

Large doe eyes blinked toward the samurai’s son as a blush took hold of her features. He hadn’t brought up the use of honorifics since the day he’d proposed. And now he chose to mention it in front of everyone, and to drop the -chan from her own name as well! Quickly shovelling some food into her mouth, much to the disdain of the matriarch, the waitress tried to avoid having to answer.

“I’ll just ask again after you’ve finished,” Hiroshi smiled, picking up on her strategy, “But, if you prefer, I suppose I can continue to call you Fuu-chan in public, and you can call me Hiroshi-kun...when we aren’t alone…”

“Hiroshi!” His mother blustered at him upon realizing the implications of what he had just said.

Her outburst caused Jin to awkwardly clear his throat and avert his gaze as he also considered the multiple ways such phrasing could be interpreted, while Shino covered her mouth to hide a small smirk and a giggle. The patriarch’s reaction was much like Jin’s, except for the small grin on his face. Meanwhile, Fuu practically choked on the mouthful of tea that she was using to wash down her hurried breakfast.

“Okaa-san!” The young man gasped in faux shock, as though he had never really considered his mother’s interpretation of his words, “Really, the things you think of. I merely meant the moments when we find ourselves sitting unaccompanied in the dining room, or perhaps the yard…you see, perfectly innocent.”

Jin had to give the boy more marks for humor, and a bit of a rebellious streak. Both were qualities that seemed to suit a match for Fuu. And this young man seemed to have both in abundance, and no qualms about using them to put his mother in her place. Still, there was one thing that troubled him about the supposed joke. Knowing how innocent Fuu could be, the ronin glanced at her, then turned his gaze to Hiroshi, who he was surprised to find looking back at him as though anticipating the unasked question.

“I assure you, Jin-san, I have done nothing inappropriate towards Fuu, even though she has been staying in my family’s home.” The samurai’s son cast a warm smile at his betrothed, “I respect her far too much to do such a thing.”

“I see…” Jin nodded, considering this. He knew that Fuu had always been rather enamored of their rougher companion, despite his seeming lack of interest in return. As such, she well knew of the vagrant’s appetite for pleasures of the flesh, and yet had never tried to lure him in with such temptations. This showed the ronin that she did indeed respect herself enough to not lay with just any man. Even the painting she had posed for, though partially nude, had not been highly graphic. So, it was good that Hiroshi could honor these aspects of Fuu, “I appreciate that you care for her so much.”

As the two young men exchanged words, Fuu found herself blushing fiercely. After all, she and her purity were the topic of their conversation. It wasn’t something she was exactly comfortable with, but she didn’t put a stop to it. Jin approval of her fiance was important to her. Through their travels, the bodyguard had become a sort of surrogate brother for the waitress, and the closest thing to family she really had. So she was happy when the ronin announced his appreciation.

Shino, on the other hand, was a bit distraught at the course of the conversation. Not because of the intimacy it entailed so much as the results it was getting. Ever since Fuu’s letter had arrived to tell them that Mugen was also in Edo to witness the proposal, describing what, in Shino’s opinion, was a very clear display of jealousy, the former prostitute had been genuinely hoping to find some wedge to drive between Hiroshi and Fuu. She and her husband had long suspected the orphaned girl of harboring feelings for the pirate, and now that there was a chance those feelings might be returned, Shino wanted Jin’s friends to have the same happiness they had found. This man, however....this samurai’s son...he seemed to genuinely care for the waitress. Jin could see it, and so could she. This begged the question of whether pushing Fuu and Mugen together would still be a good idea.

“Fuu-chan,” Hiroshi’s word’s drew the wandering thoughts of Jin’s wife back to the conversation at hand, “You have the day off, don’t you? What are your plans?”

The young man received a reply that had become rare in the last few weeks, “I think I’ll go to the market. I know the servant’s are here to cook, but I’d like to pick up a few things nonetheless.”

“Very well,” Her fiance smiled in reply, finishing off his now cold tea and moving to stand, “I’ll accompany you.”

Fuu’s smile fell and she sent Jin a sideways glance that subtly begged his intervention. Taking the cue, the ronin interjected, “Shino and I have not yet explored the city since arriving...and a walk would do us good. Perhaps we could accompany her instead?”

Shino raised a brow at her husband, recalling the words he had spoken after interrupting her letter writing by pulling the brush from her hand mid character during her response to Fuu. Let the river flow naturally, if you try to force its course, it carves a new one. Or another one of those philosophical phrases he liked to use. They were hard to remember verbatim sometimes, but she got the point. Don’t interfere, because doing so might make things go the wrong way anyhow. What Jin was doing right now, seemed a lot like interfering to her, though.

Catching the curious glance of his wife, Jin gave a miniscule inclination of his head toward Fuu. No one in the room except for Shino would take note, but to the former prostitute it spoke very clearly. This was not interfering because Fuu had asked for their assistance.

As this silent communication was going on, Hiroshi was considering the offer. Jin was friends with Fuu, and most likely also Mugen. Therefore, the ronin would probably guess at their feelings for eachother, but would also be likely to know the risks the former pirate posed to Fuu’s heart. But which friend would Jin be more loyal to in the end? It was a risky predicament, but their were other factors to take into consideration as well.

Telling Jin he could not go alone with his wife and Fuu would indicate that he did not trust the ronin. This had two possible negative outcomes, the first being that Hiroshi would come off as a pathetically jealous individual, which he was not, and the second that someone would make the connection that whomever they were protecting Fuu from had some link to her past. That was the one risk he absolutely could not take. If they linked her to a marked criminal like Mugen, then even his father might go out of his way to keep them apart.

And so, his mind made up, Hiroshi offered a warm smile, and a nod, “Just keep her safe. One never knows what threats might follow those connected to the shogun’s samurai.”

“Of course,” Jin nodded in return, standing quickly and helping his pregnant spouse up off the floor. Happy to be in the company of someone besides Hiroshi or Otou-san for a change, Fuu quickly stood as well, beaming happily.

 

* * *

 

As they walked through the bustling market, Jin kept a watchful eye over the women and their surroundings. Shino and Fuu browsed the goods being sold as they chatted pleasantly, which meant the ronin had to keep an ear on the conversation as well lest his wife say something she shouldn’t. He knew that the pregnant woman was eager to see his former traveling companions get together, her reasoning being that they would find the same happiness with each other that she had found with him. But she had so little patience at times, and would try to force things to go her way, rather than observing and interfering as little as possible so that things could take a natural course. However, Jin knew that suggesting either of his friends had feelings for the other would lead to denial and eventual conflict between the pair, ultimately driving them further apart. It was best to let them discover their feelings on their own.

As the women approached a stall that dealt in sweet confections, Jin swept his sights over the crowd. His dark eyes were cautious, of course, since he had promised Hiroshi he would protect Fuu from harm. However, his gaze also searched for familiarity among the throngs of shoppers. He had sworn to keep threats away from the twenty year old girl, but old friends hardly counted as threats. So, if he spied a certain vagrant, he was under no obligation to hold him at bay, not by the terms of his verbal agreement at any rate.

“Ah!” Fuu gasped as she tried her best not to start drooling in desire at the sight of the candied fruit displayed before her, “Ohhh, look! I don’t know which kind looks the best!”

Shino raised her hand to her lips in a dainty fashion to stifle a giggle at her friend’s expense. She had heard from Jin of the younger girl’s love of food, but it was amusing seeing it first hand. They had only finished a hearty breakfast a short while ago, and here she was practically swooning over candied fruits. Personally, the pregnant woman wasn’t even wanting to think of eating anything right that moment. Of course, that would change later in the day when some craving or other would likely hit, “Why not get a variety then, Fuu-chan?”

As the girls discussing what fruits made up the best variety, Jin’s sights were finally settled on a figure in the shadows of the crowd. A small smirk tilted the corners of the ronin’s lips as he wondered when his friend had started being so cautious and planning. Stalking was not something the rogue would normally have done. But the glimpse of red against tanned skin marred with blue was unmistakable. Particularly when he took into account the wild mane of dark hair that vanished from sight with the rest of the man he had spotted for only a moment.

“Fuu,” He spoke in his usual stoic fashion, calm and gentle as he stepped forward and took hold of his wife’s arm, “I’m sure you won’t mind if I borrow Shino...you need only call if you find trouble.”

When the two women looked up at the ronin with some confusion, he searched his mind quickly for a plausible explanation to give for his actions. Vaguely he recalled seeing a clothing and fabric stall a short distance away. He directed a slight smile to his spouse, “You wanted to make some things for when the baby gets here, correct? There is a fabric stand a few stalls over. We won’t be far.”

Seeing the look in Jin’s eyes, Shino was quick to understand that he was trying to gradually urge the rivers course, or whatever philosophical way he would have put it. As much as she loved his depth and knack for elegant phrasing, she had trouble matching it at times. Regardless, she knew that he had spotted Mugen somewhere, and that he wanted to leave Fuu alone to chance an encounter between them. She smiled sweetly in return, giving a small nod, “That’s right, Jin dear. I was going to make a blanket or two at the very least. Fuu-chan, do you mind if we look at the fabrics? We won’t take long, and it’s just a short distance away.”

At first, the waitress wasn’t sure what to think. It seemed almost like they were deliberately trying to ditch her! That thought offended her a great deal, though she was quick to remind herself that she had been waiting for a chance to get out without chaperones. Perhaps Jin, with his skill at observing others, had detected her unease at being constantly accompanied and decided to give her some space. When she thought of it that way, she was actually happy, “Oh! Sure, don’t mind me. If I ever decide what fruit to buy, I’ll come find you guys!”

Silently the ronin and his wife smiled their thanks and nodded a brief bow of gratitude before rushing off towards the fabric stall. Fuu nibbled on her lower lip as she went back to scanning the selection of candied fruit, unable to decide which she wanted. Her attention was soon drawn away, however, by the feeling of a large hand gripping her around the wrist.

With a soft yelp, she whirled, instinctively swinging the open palm of her free hand to slap the offender across the face. Curse the fact that she hadn’t brought her tanto! Another large hand found that wrist, and as her arms were trapped awkwardly crossed in front of her, she gasped, eyes wide in recognition.

An arrogant smirk adorned the tanned features of the former pirate as he held her arms firmly in his grasp, “Hey there, Girly. You’re one hard bitch to catch alone, ya know that?”

 

* * *

 

After having seen Jin and the pregnant woman he was with arrive at the house where Fuu was staying, Mugen had decided, for whatever reason, to stick close. And so, in the shadows of the alley nearest the end of the main city streets that ran towards the large house’s location on the outskirts of Edo, he had propped himself against a wall and settled in to sleep.

It was sometime the next morning when the vagrant was awoken by the sound of familiar voices. A man and a woman whose tones he had grown accustomed to during the course of a journey four years ago. Theirs were joined by a third voice, female, presumably the chick Jin had shown up with. Quietly, the rogue had watched the trio pass, hopefully without noticing him, at least he didn’t think any of them looked at him. A slow grin spread over his dark features as he realized that Fuu had been allowed to leave the house without either of her usual watchdogs. The expression faltered though upon the thought that Jin would be a more formidable opponent that either samurai, and was just as likely to try and keep him away from the pink clad girl if he had given his word to do so. Not to mention, Mugen didn’t really want anyone who knew who he was around when he caught Fuu. He felt like that would be awkward for some reason that he couldn’t quite place.

Still, this was a new chance with a new chaperone. And Jin counted Mugen as one of his friends, or at least he used to. Not that that was likely to make a difference. The former pirate stuck close to the shadows as her tailed the trio through the market, watching Fuu gawk over various food items, mostly sweet treats. If he thought he might be spotted, he ducked in between stalls, or into the nearest alley.

As the women moved to examine a stand that seemed to particularly entice Fuu with its offerings, Mugen stepped into the shadow of a stall a few feet away and across the street to watch. He was doing fine, until he felt the ronin’s eyes upon him, “Shit!”

As quickly as possible the vagrant moved between the stalls to be completely out of view, but he was almost certain it was too late. Sneakiness had never been his strong suit. He was much more of a leap into action sort of guy. To his surprise, Jin moved closer to the women, spoke with them a moment, then proceeded to lead the pregnant one away further down the market street. It was almost like he was intentionally leaving Fuu as an open target, “The fuck?”

Shaking his head to dispel such stupid notions, Mugen waited for the waitress to once more distract herself with whatever she was shopping for then stepped into the crowd and wove his way toward her. The bustle of the crowd must have kept her from hearing the distinctive clack of his geta as he came up from behind and grabbed her wrist. And like the fiery bitch she’d always been, she tried to slap him as an immediate response! Of course, he couldn’t allow that, so he grabbed that wrist to, crossing her arms to keep her off balance as she looked at him with startled recognition while he smirked at her in return, “Hey there, Girly. You’re one hard bitch to catch alone, ya know that?”

“Mugen!” Her urgent whisper came out hoarse, like she had been trying to screech but failed. As he continued to leer at her, she began try to pull her wrists free of his grasp, “What the hell are you doing here? I told you to get lost!”

“Psh,” The former pirate rolled his eyes at her hissed words, tightening his grip as she tried to wriggle free, “Since when do I take orders from anyone? Especially a stupid bitch who runs off ta marry the first guy that talks nice to her?”

“What?” Her struggle instantly ceased at that last sentence as she stared at him in confusion. What on earth was he saying? First of all, the statement was fundamentally incorrect for two reasons. Hiroshi wasn’t actually the first guy to speak nicely to her...granted the other guys who had spoken kindly to her had usually had ulterior motives, but that wasn’t really the point. Also, she hadn’t ‘run off’ anywhere. She had settled in Edo soon after their group had separated, and hadn’t left the city to be with Hiroshi. So, there was no running off to speak of. Besides the inaccuracies of the statement, there was the huge fact that it made him sound almost...jealous. But that was impossible! Mugen didn’t care at all about her. Her cheeks flushed brightly, “Listen to yourself, you jerk! What on earth are you even saying?”

At first the criminal wasn’t sure what he had said that had her so confused. He was just being his normal defiant self, right? But when she insisted that it had been something he said that had her staring at him like he had two heads, he stop to run over what he had said, his face scrunching in concentration, only to grow panicked as the blush on her face put the final pieces into place, “Oi, Girly! Don’t get your hopes up, I didn’t mean it like that! I ain’t jealous or nothin’, okay?”

Fuu merely raised a brow in response, regarding him curiously. He seemed to protest an awful lot for someone who she was misreading. And if he thought she was hoping for anything but him leaving, then he was the one who was dreaming!

“You’re just too stupid, that’s all!” The pirate insisted, “Guys butter girls up for one reason, and only one reason! Don’t think you’re gonna be anything more than a guaranteed lay to Junior Samurai...gettin’ a ball and chain ain’t gonna stop him from goin’ to brothels like any regular guy.”

That curious stare turned into an angry glare at the rogue’s words, “Is that all a woman is to you? Some...some object for sex?”

Mugen blinked, not quite sure where the wrath had come from. He’d been trying to help, trying to warn the girl of the inevitable betrayal she would face from pretty boy. And this was how she thanked him? Turning it into some lecture against him!

“You! Are! Such! A! Pig!” She shouted each word in staccato, renewing her struggles against his grip. Tears formed in her large brown eyes as she found herself wondering why he had ever agreed to help her four years ago? Why had he stuck around? Was he even her friend, or did he just want to wait until she became mature enough to hold his interest so he could use her for a quick fuck? “Let go, Mugen! Let me go! I...I hate you!”

Never one to obey orders, the vagrant gripped her firmly through her struggles, glaring at Fuu in reply and trying to speak over her as he shouted at him, “Listen here, Girly! I’m just trying to-”

His sentence dropped off as two things happened at once. First, the words she had shouted the end of her tirade registered in full. She hated him? His grip loosened immediately, the pirate failing to notice even as Jin and Shino quickly returned to where Fuu had been facing off with the rogue. How could Girly hate him? She...she and Four-eyes were his only friends...he’d never had anyone who cared before, and now the one person he’d thought cared the most about him said she hated him! Jin was speaking to him, something about leaving, but the words didn’t register. In the background, Shino was trying to calm Fuu, who had managed to pull free of Mugen’s loosened grip.

The vagrant silently dropped his hands to his sides, balling them into trembling, white knuckled fists, glaring hard at the dirt road as he growled through clenched teeth, “I don’t give a fuck if you hate me, damn bitch! I don’t need anyone! Never have, never will! Go marry your damn Junior Samurai and see how wrong I am about him!”

Fuu didn’t even get a chance to respond, not that she wanted to continue their argument, before Mugen spun on his heel and disappeared into the crowd, not so much weaving his way through the shoppers this time as shoving them aside in his haste to disappear.

Shino stood beside Fuu, trying to comfort the poor girl by holding her in a sisterly embrace, smoothing a hand over her back as the twenty year old broke into tears, muttering repeatedly about her hatred for the former bodyguard. In a soft voice the former prostitute murmured, “Shhh...I’m sure you don’t truly hate him…”

Jin watched Mugen vanish into the distance, wondering if the vagrant was actually going to leave town this time. Though the rougher male always masked his true self behind aggression, the ronin had a feeling that being told he was hated had stung the former pirate deeply.

“I do!” Fuu wept into Shino’s shoulder, shaking with the effort of her sobs, “I really do, he’s a jerk! I hate him!”

“What did he say to get you so worked up, Fuu-chan?” Shino cooed softly to her friend, stroking her hair away from her tear dampened face, “Surely he did something to cause this reaction?”

Jin shifted his focus to the conversing women, paying close attention to his wife, who was treading dangerously close to the invisible line he had imposed upon them. They could not alert either of their friends to the other’s true feelings. In the end it would do more harm than good. Right now, Shino was safe. She was trying to reason with Fuu, most likely for no greater purpose that finding the cause of the girl’s pain. But talk of hatred could easily turn to talk of love.

“He…” Fuu glared at the ground as she remembered what Mugen had said in regards to Hiroshi, to any man that might show the least bit of interest in her, or any woman for that matter, it was horrid! Surely Shino would see her reasons and take her side, “He told me that Hiroshi-kun only wanted to marry me so he could take me to bed. He also said that...that Hiroshi-kun would visit brothels on the side...the way he said it...h-he...he strongly implied...any guy would be the same…”

Shino frowned slightly, as did Jin, upon hearing this. It was no wonder that Fuu was upset, though partnered with the reaction the rogue gave to being told he was hated the married couple had little doubt as to the true cause of his words. Mugen was in fact jealous. It was clear to them beyond any doubt that might have lingered.

Trying to put on a reassuring smile, Shino began to speak, “Fuu-chan, I don’t think he was saying such things to be cruel...I think the real reason is-”

“Hnn…” A stern yet subtle sound cut her off as her spouse made his objection known, sending the pregnant woman a warning look, to which she replied with an expression that clearly asked for his trust. A slight nod came from the ronin, who sighed and adjusted his glasses hoping he had not just made a mistake.

“As I was saying…” Shino began again, stroking Fuu’s hair soothingly, “I think the real reason he said such things was to protect you…”

The waitress gave her an incredulous look, “Protect me? How does telling me my fiance and all men only seek out women for bodily pleasure protect me from anything?”

“It’s his attempt to show that he’s worried…” She held up a hand to keep Fuu from launching into another doubtful objection, “What I’m saying is, he doesn’t fully trust Hiroshi-san. And he doesn’t want you to be hurt by him. Mugen isn’t good at showing he cares...at least not from what Jin has told me...he’s doing his best to show concern.”

Jin arched a brow at the way his wife had handled that. She had managed to explain that Mugen cared, without suggesting he held specifically strong feelings for Fuu. It was rather impressive, considering how much Shino wanted to just get the two of them together and be done with things. The ronin knew that if his bride had her way, their two friends would be locked in a small room together, and not allowed out until they had confessed to one another, or more. He tried not to think about the ‘or more’ part too much.

“Shino is right.” He spoke in his normal cool, smooth tones, moving to rest a comforting hand on Fuu’s shoulder, “He is just too stubborn to express worry properly.”

“Y-you think so?” The waitress wanted to believe them as she turned her tear streaked face toward the crowd Mugen had disappeared into. She really wanted to believe them, and their words actually made a lot of sense. The pirate was an overgrown child at times, refusing to do things just to spite the people who told him to, picking fights for fun...maybe he really was trying to protect her. Or...maybe he really was jealous and just in denial? Why did that thought make her heart skip a beat? Even if he was jealous, though, his words weren’t the best way to draw her toward him instead of Hiroshi. Mugen seemed more likely to fit the description he’d given than the samurai’s son.

“I do.” Jin replied simply, releasing his grip on her shoulder.

“I do too.” Shino agreed, smiling at Fuu and embracing her once more, “Now, we better find somewhere to get you cleaned up, hmm? We can’t take you back to Hiroshi-san looking like you’ve been crying!”

“Oh!” Fuu scrubbed at the tear stains on her face with her kimono sleeves and wiped her eyes, “You’re right! I can’t go back looking like this! He’ll think you broke your promise to keep me safe…”

“Hn…” Jin wasn’t going to argue. He wasn’t one to deliberately lie, though omitting truths was not technically lying. So if Hiroshi didn’t ask about running into Mugen, they wouldn’t have to tell him. The younger man was less likely to ask if Fuu didn’t look like she’d been crying. And he had no doubt his former traveling companion would like more occasions to be allowed out with Shino and himself, which would be denied if Hiroshi doubted him. It was all around best if Fuu cleaned herself up.

 

* * *

 

Mugen didn’t need Fuu! He didn’t need anyone! One bitch was as good as the next, and it didn’t matter if Fuu hated him! No one ever cared about him before, so why should anyone start caring now! What an idiot he’d been to think she’d considered him a friend...to think she might look at him and see...see what exactly? What had he wanted her to see? He certainly didn’t expect her to love him, since he had no desire for any of that mushy stuff. Love tied you down, and he wanted to be free. No ball and chain for Mugen.

As he continued to shove his way through the busy streets of daytime Edo, he wasn’t sure where to go. If it were evening, he’d go to the pleasure district and prove his point by banging the first broad he could afford. And this time, he’d actually do it to. He had no reason not to, after all. Not that he’d had any reason not to before.

His stomach was in knots, twisting and churning and aching worse than it had ever ached before. His left arm wrapped around his belly as he glared ahead, suddenly deciding on a destination. If Fuu was in the market she wasn’t working, that damn tea house would be safe to go to. Sure, he wanted sake, but he would eat first, then go somewhere else to drink. He had to go to the fucking tea house at least one more time to prove to that bitchy owner that he didn’t take her orders either! Besides, the only explanation for the weird sick feeling in his stomach was that he had to be starving! As much as he would love to, he knew he couldn’t live on booze alone, so food first, then sake.


	9. Food For Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Shino teeters on the edge of the boundaries Jin has set regarding interference with Fuu's love life during a trip to the Onsen; Mugen's return to the tea house ends up in an interesting conversation with Fuu's employer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we near the story's climax...

Jin waited outside the onsen, nervous about his wife being completely alone with Fuu. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Shino, but he knew that she could be overly eager, and he was worried that without his presence to remind her of their rule, she would start saying too much in regards to the relationship between Mugen and the waitress. But the former prostitute had insisted that, rather than simply finding a place to wash the tear stains from Fuu’s face, a full on hot spring experience would help relax the twenty year old. And the part of the onsen they were in was a women’s only bath.

So, Jin sat, and he waited. He wasn’t going to go into the men’s bath, because he wanted to be clothed if for some unforeseen reason he was required to charge in and save the women. So, he leaned against the outer wall of the onsen, eyes closed, but ears attuned to the world around him.

 

* * *

 

Fuu sighed softly as she sank shoulder deep into the steaming waters, leaning her head back and savoring the way the hot spring embraced her form. It had been so long since she’d had such an experience, and she certainly had not been to the springs with a companion in a while. Her head rolled to the side and she smiled at Shino, who was sitting in the water beside her, already gently spreading warm water along elegant shoulders. Fuu was sure she could never be as beautiful as the former brothel girl, but she knew such things didn’t matter to Hiroshi.

_Don’t think you’re anything more than a guaranteed lay to Junior Samurai._

The girl shook her head, trying to chase the thought away. She couldn’t let Mugen’s words cause her to doubt her fiance. Just because the pirate was a jerk and a pervert, that didn’t mean every guy was. Hiroshi was sweet, and kind, and loved her. He wouldn’t betray her in the way Mugen had said he would!

Pulling her knees up through the water so she could prop her head on them, she wrapped her arms about her legs and continued to watch Shino. It took only a moment for the pregnant woman to notice the sadness in Fuu’s gaze.

After another moment of silence in which the older woman waited for Fuu to open up on her own, Shino spoke, “What’s the matter, Fuu-chan. You still seem sad…”

The waitress tried to curl herself up still smaller in shame before slowly replying, “I...I know I shouldn’t let his words get to me...but I can’t help it...what if Mugen’s right...what if Hiroshi-kun...what if he…”

  
“Hiroshi-san thinks the world of you,” Her friend reassured her honestly, a small smile on her features, “But I think the question is, do you feel the same?”

“Of course I do!” Fuu insisted, suddenly sitting bolt upright in the water, though her voice lost it’s certainty as she continued, “I mean, I agreed to marry him, right?”

“Yes, you did.” Shino nodded, leaning back to marinate in the steam as she continued to watch her friend, “But why did you agree? And if you love Hiroshi-san so deeply, how could you possibly doubt him based on the words of another? Even if that man is a friend of yours, shouldn’t you believe Hiroshi-san over him? Still, if you’re so worried, perhaps you should discuss it with your fiance and see what he says.”

The brunette stopped to think over her companion’s words. She had agreed to marry Hiroshi, but why? When he’d first proposed, hadn’t she been on the verge of telling him not to be ridiculous? Telling him it was too soon, and she was certain he was making a mistake? Or were those merely blurred memories caused by the stress of her short leashed life as of late? If it was true, though, then what had happened to change her mind?

Mugen had been there...and as usual he had been rude and thoughtless. He’d insisted on wanting to know what answer she would give to Hiroshi right that moment. The rest was somewhat fuzzy, but she knew she was irritated with the rogue when she’d agreed to marry the samurai’s son.

As for the matter of listening to Mugen over Hiroshi, she didn’t think that was what she was doing at all! It was natural for a woman to get jitters about her upcoming wedding! And the pirate’s words had only served as a focal point for hers, she supposed. But perhaps Shino was right and it was something she should talk to Hiroshi about. Still, she would be certain to leave Mugen’s name out of things.

 

* * *

 

As he pushed aside the curtain to the tea house, prepared to make his normal nonchalant entrance, Mugen found he could not hold back a sneeze. He followed it with a slight sniff as he glanced around, wondering who the hell was gossiping about him. It was probably Fuu still whining about hating him, though. Not that he cared.

“Tch.” His steel lined geta clicked across the establishments floor, regulars stopping to watch the man who had caused a fuss on a couple of occasions by this point. As the tea house fell rather quiet, save soft murmurs in regards to the newest arrival, the proprietress stepped out to check the cause. Her eyes immediately fell upon the pirate, and she was not sure how to feel about his being there.

The broad shouldered woman sent a quick glance in the current waitress’ direction, warning her silently to keep her distance, which the other replied to with a nod. That having been communicated, the owner of the establishment crossed to the table Mugen was settling in at, “Mugen-san, it’s been awhile. Fuu-chan’s not here, which is a lucky thing for you, actually...I’d be forced to run you out if she was…”

“San, pfft.” He rolled his eyes at her formality, holding up his wrist to give a clear view of his blue ringed tattoo as he continued, “Cut the crap, hag. You know what I am. As for that bitch, I know she ain’t here. She’s off with Four-eyes, the chick he knocked up, and Pretty-Boy.”

The older woman had a feeling from the stories that Fuu had told that the man called Four-eyes was her other body guard, Jin. The pregnant woman then must be his wife, hadn’t Fuu called her Shino? Pretty-Boy clearly meant Hiroshi. With a curious gaze, the proprietress canted her head to the side, regarding Mugen carefully.

Even without looking at her, the rogue could feel her scrutinizing him. He tolerated it for a moment before lashing out, “The fuck are you looking at, bitch?”

“I’m not sure, but I think it might be a criminal gone soft.” She shrugged and folded her arms, raising a brow at him as he whipped around to glare at her. The pirate was given no chance to protest, though as the woman continued, “I might be wrong, I suppose. But after your last visit, I was left with the impression you disapproved of her engagement.”

“Damn straight I do…” He grumbled under his breath before continuing more loudly, “But it ain’t ‘cause I’m jealous or nothin’! I just don’t wanna see her get hurt! She’s too damn stupid if she thinks this guy really cares about her at all! It’s no wonder she’s getting in so much fucking trouble all the time...she’s too damn trusting…”

“I see...so you aren’t entirely cold hearted after all…” A small smile played over the woman’s face as she accepted a tray that had been brought out by her husband as per previous request. A cup of tea, and a plate containing four dumplings was set before the rogue, “But I can assure you that Hiroshi-san does truly care about her. He worries about your intentions, you should have heard the lecture he gave me after your last visit to my tea house.”

“Pfft, what makes you say I ain’t cold hearted?” He cast her a glare which turned into a look of confusion as she set the food before him without his even ordering. That look then turned into a scowl as she seemed to praise the virtues of Fuu’s fiance, “Pretty-Boy don’t know anything about her! She’s gotta be goin’ nuts by now with as short a leash as he’s got her on!”

“You care about Fuu-chan. If you were as heartless as you try to seem, you wouldn’t care for anyone, Mugen-san.” The reply was simple as the owner of the tea house took a seat at his side, placing the empty tray on the table before her, “That’s your order from last time, you paid and never ate, I thought you should at least get your money’s worth.

“As for Hiroshi-san and Fuu-chan, he may very well know his actions are wearing on her nerves. But he continues to watch over her because he doesn’t wish to see her hurt either,” The woman sighed softly, giving a wistful look into the distance, “When one is afraid a certain person will hurt someone they care about, they can go to extremes to protect their loved one…”

“I ain’t gonna-” Mugen began to protest what he thought she was implying, but fell silent as he recalled the tears in Fuu’s eyes as she struggled against him, the words of hatred flying from her lips. His eyes narrowed slightly as he turned his gaze away from the proprietress, taking a bite out of his meal.

“Hiroshi-san is worried about her heart…” The woman murmured, “She’s lacking in confidence, someone, it seems, made her feel quite undesirable...and I’m sure he just doesn’t want her to have her heart broken beyond repair.”

“Tch…” The criminal closed his eyes, trying to fight off the echoes of insults he had directed at Fuu during their time together. She couldn’t have taken them seriously, like hell she cared what he thought. Hadn’t she liked Fishface back then? And even if she had been hurt by what he’d said, it was her own damn fault for thinking he really meant any of it! So she was a kid, and flat as a board. So she wasn’t exactly seductive and she whined a lot. That didn’t have to be a bad thing or mean he didn’t care! Suddenly his eyes snapped open, narrowed into a glare, what the fuck was he thinking? He shook his head forcefully, trying to rid himself of such ridiculous thoughts, “That Girly never cared what I thought. And he don’t got to worry ‘bout me breakin’ her heart. Hell, he’s the one she’s marryin’, right? Not that I’d even want to marry her! Who the hell actually wants a ball and chain?”

“Hmm…”A slow nod was given in response to Mugen’s reply, “You’re probably right...that’s probably precisely why she gets so angry when she hears you insulting her, because she doesn’t really care.”

There was a sudden twisting feeling in the pirate’s chest. What the hell was that sensation? He wasn’t used to feeling it, that was for sure. And when he did, it always came with thoughts of her, and the notion that maybe he’d done something wrong. Was it what they called guilt? He scowled at his plate, “She ain’t gonna have to worry about me anymore anyway. Soon as I get some more money together, I’m outta here. And I ain’t comin’ back if I can help it.”

“That should solve everything, then.” The woman let out a snort of derision, “Just leave her feeling abandoned by a man she considered her friend, a person she cared about.”

“Then what do you suggest, hag?” He turned his steely glare on her, hardly having touched his meal, “She told me to get the hell out, remember? You seriously think she still wants me around?”

“I don’t think you really want to leave,” She reasoned softly, “Not after seeing how you watched her before. And I don’t think she really wants you to leave. I think she’s hurt...I think she needs some explanation for your actions. You should talk to her.”

“Like hell I don’t!” Mugen spat at her, slamming a fist down on the table, the thump echoing in the eerily quiet establishment. The pirate seemed to have forgotten that he and the owner were not alone. Though the crowd was considerably less than when he arrived, the customers having begun easing their way out, “I ain’t got any reason to stay! And I ain’t done nothin’ ta hurt her! She’s the one who-”

Hearing the man cut himself off as he whipped his head away from her; the woman’s interest was piqued, “What did she do, Mugen-san? How has sweet Fuu-chan upset you?”

“She’s a fucking stupid bitch, ain’t that enough?” He grumbled so softly that he could barely be heard, though his voice slowly elevated as he continued, beginning to sound slightly choked, “I don’t give a fuck if she gets married to some Pretty-Boy samurai, and I don’t give a fuck if she says she hates me, so it doesn’t fucking matter! But she sure as hell don’t want me to stay, and I sure as hell ain’t got no reason to!”

“Is that so?” Now the motherly woman’s eyes were wide with surprise, “Fuu-chan said that, did she? You must have really upset her...she’s spoken so highly of you in her stories...even if it was a bit masked.”

“Huh?” Mugen blinked, turning toward the proprietress, his eyes sparkling from tears he had fought back, “She talked ‘bout me, did she? Not just Fishface, but me?”

“You sound so surprised,” The woman smiled at him softly, “She spoke of you often, Jin-san too, but quite often of you, Mugen-san. You saved her, of course she would share such stories with her friends.”

The pirate was growing confused as the woman fifteen years his senior spoke to him. So, Fuu talked about him, and in a good way? She talked about how he, Mugen, had saved her? She didn’t give Four-Eyes all the credit? He was almost tempted to give a sappy reply, but he wouldn’t, because he wasn’t that kind of guy, “She saved me too, guess we’re even.”

Okay, so maybe his mouth had forgotten he wasn’t that kind of guy.At this tidbit, the owner of the establishment arched a brow at him, silently asking if he would elaborate, “It ain’t important...she hates me now, so it don’t matter anyway.”

“You’re sure about that? Sometimes in hurt and anger, people say things they don’t mean.” With that parting phrase, the woman stood and made her way back to the kitchen, tray in hand, leaving the pirate to finish his meal in silent contemplation. The only thing was, suddenly he wasn’t quite as hungry.

 

* * *

 

After the two women had emerged from the onsen, which seemed to take far too long for Jin’s liking, the trio began the trek back toward the home they had been staying in. The afternoon had worn down, and evening was approaching. They were about halfway to their destination when Hiroshi came trotting up to them, causing them to stop in confusion.

“You were gone so long, it’s getting into the evening hours,” The samurai’s son explained, “I was beginning to worry, so I came looking for you. Gomen, Jin-san, I suppose I should not have doubted your ability to protect Fuu, after all, you do have a history as her protector. I suppose I worry too easily, that is all…”

Trailing off the man couldn’t help but notice that his betrothed was having slight difficulty with the matter of eye contact. She seemed to be avoiding looking at him, and this concerned him greatly, “Fuu-chan? Everything is alright, isn’t it? There wasn’t any trouble?”

“Ah…” Fuu didn’t want to flat out lie, but she didn’t want to let her fiance know that Jin had failed in his promise either, “Jin, Shino-chan, would it be alright if you were to go on ahead? I would like to speak with Hiroshi-kun…”

Hiroshi’s features fell into a worried frown. There was definitely something not right, and Jin and Shino’s silent nods and agreement to leave them alone only furthered his suspicion. When the other couple had departed, he cut to the chase, “Fuu, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“I don’t want you to be angry with Jin, Hiroshi,” She began, forcing herself to leave off the honorific, “It wasn’t his fault, and he and Shino stepped in as soon as they saw what was happening.”

“It was him, wasn’t it?” Her fiance’s tone was soft and carried an undercurrent of disappointment. She’d been left alone with Mugen, and he had probably said something to steal her away. Now she would leave, only to be hurt in the end by the criminal.

“It was…” She confirmed quietly, “He caught me in the market, and said something that disturbed me...and...I know it isn’t right, but I just...I need some reassurance...why do you wish to marry me?”

Her intended blinked at the question, not having expected to hear it. He had more expected a breaking of their engagement, but he was glad to be wrong, “What? Fuu, haven’t we been over this before?”

A silent nod was offered before being followed by an explanation, “Mugen, he...he said...awful things...that you would be disloyal...and only wanted…”

Here she blushed, and Hiroshi could see what she was getting at. The samurai’s son gave a huff, “Then he’s an idiot. Didn’t I already tell you that I not only find you beautiful, but that I love you for your kind and gentle nature, for your resourcefulness and determination? I might also add that I adore your honesty, and how you are true to yourself rather than, for instance, what my mother expects of you. You are a fantastic person, and I could never want anything more!”

She smiled at him, glad to hear him say such things, returning the gentle embrace he gave her and allowing the soft kiss to her brow. As he comforted her, they did not notice a figure lingering in the shadows of a nearby alley, watching them carefully.


	10. A Twist of Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mugen makes a few realizations as Fuu lands in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, after this, there are only three chapters left. 
> 
> **Translation Note:** Shogun no Inu - This phrase roughly translates to "dog of the Shogun" and is one I chose to use as a slur against the samurai in the dialogue for a certain scene.
> 
> Please see the end note for a question I would like your input on!

Releasing his gentle hold on Fuu, Hiroshi leaned back and smiled down at his betrothed, “Feeling better now?”

The waitress gave a small nod, only for her stomach to grumble a few moments later. Curse her appetite for ruining a tender moment! With a sheepish blush she looked up at her fiance, “I’ll feel even better after I eat, though. I’m starving! I haven’t had anything since breakfast!”

“Too busy at the onsen?” Hiroshi grinned at her as she cocked her head in a curious response, a small blush of his own dusting his features as he replied to the unasked question, “You’re hair is still wet and...you smell freshly bathed…”

At this, Fuu went crimson. She didn’t so much mind the comment, but it was embarrassing to think of him noticing her scent! ! Her feet shuffled in an awkward manner as she looked at the dirt road beneath them, “Ah, I see…”  
  
The samurai’s son cleared his throat to break the tension, and offered a smile, “Anyhow, we’d best get you something to eat. I know it’s your day off, but perhaps we should go to the tea house…they do have delicious food, and a nice cup of tea will help you relax.”  
  
“That does sound nice, Hiroshi…” Once more she had to forcibly stop herself from adding the –kun to his name. It was a habit he wished her to stop, and she would do her best to concede. Marriage was about compromises, and once she was his wife she would need to address him more intimately anyway. Besides, he had a point when he mentioned at breakfast that she called her bodyguards without honorifics. And she’d only traveled with them for a year, she’d known her fiancé the past four years.  
  
With a smile and a nod the young man placed a gentle hand on the small of Fuu’s back. The gesture was meant to comfort her, to make her feel secure after her run in with her former bodyguard. Instead, it made her a bit nervous, caged even. If she tried to separate from him, would he grab a fistful of kimono and stop her? The two didn’t notice the figure that had been watching them slinking further into the shadows to completely disappear.  


 

* * *

  
  
“He won’t react well…” Shino fretted, glancing over her shoulder to where they had left their friend and her fiancé earlier as they walked down the street.  
  
“So you’ve already said…” Jin comment, trying not to scold his wife for the constant nervous looks she cast behind them, “He won’t be happy, true. He won’t harm her though…”  
  
“You’re probably right…he really does care about her. Which just makes things all the harder! I want Fuu-chan to be happy, Jin, dear. But I can’t help feeling that her marriage to Hiroshi-san would be settling! He loves her, but I don’t think she can say she feels the same!” Shino sighed as her ranted observation closed. She was torn, wanting what was best for the girl she saw as a younger sister, but not sure what that would be. There was no doubt left that Mugen cared just like Hiroshi did, and Fuu most certainly cared for Mugen if Shino’s hunches were right. But was it better for the waitress to wait for the former pirate to get a clue, or to marry a reliable and willing man?  
  
“He won’t harm her,” Jin reiterated, choosing not to address the rest of the woman’s words, “I would be more concerned about his overreacting and attempting to challenge Mugen…”  
  
“Oh!” The former prostitute gasped, her eyes widening as his words clicked into place. If Hiroshi challenged Mugen, or baited the vagrant into attacking him, there was little doubt as to what the outcome would be, “That would be terrible! Fuu-chan would never forgive Mugen when he killed Hiroshi-san!”  
  
“Then we should hope Hiroshi-san is wise enough to know better…” Jin sighed, adjusting his glasses upon his face. Love could make people do strange things…for instance stealing away a brothel girl and hiding her in a divorce temple until you could return and wed her, just as an example. Mugen didn’t need jealousy as an excuse to fight, but Hiroshi might be quicker to jump into a fray if he knew the vagabond’s words had hurt the woman he loved.  
  
The atmosphere seemed to grow heavy with these thoughts as similar ones floated through Shino’s mind as well. They continued on toward the home they had been welcomed into in silence.  


 

* * *

  
  
Though his appetite wasn’t what it had been when he entered the tea house, Mugen munched idly on his dumplings. He even took the occasional sip of his tea, if only to wash the food down. His mind wasn’t really focused on his meal, instead it danced with thoughts of a certain young waitress, and echoed with words spoken by the tea house proprietress. Fuu cared…she often spoke of how he, Mugen, had saved her life.  
  
Of course, she’d saved him too, though this was the first time he’d ever admitted as much. She kept the crow men at bay, chasing them away and pulling the rogue back from the brink. Her voice could reach out through the darkness of a fading life and somehow guide him to return to life. When he heard her whining turn to desperate pleading on his behalf, something in him knew he had to stay. He couldn’t just leave her alone.  
  
But wasn’t that what he was going to do? Leave Edo, never come back, let the girl have her life with her handsome samurai and erase himself completely. She wanted him to, though. She’d said so. She hated him, and she never wanted to see him again, and somehow, that made his stomach lurch and churn, despite the fact that he knew he wasn’t hungry. Maybe he was sick? Yeah, sick of seeing her with Pretty Boy.  
  
His eyes closed as he blew a sigh, placing the skewer that had been holding his four dumplings together between his teeth. The food was gone, so now he set to gnawing on wood that had pierced them. After hearing what the hag had said, he was beginning to realize some things, mostly about himself. He didn’t know if Fuu hated him…but he was beginning to understand why he got so irritated when she and Junior Samurai were around. Looking back on things, he also began to notice some things about the journey he’d made with the waitress four years prior.  
  
Back then, she was annoying as hell, the way she whined, the way she complained about him hitting the brothels, the way she always picked fights. But perhaps the most annoying thing of all was the fact that he couldn’t shake her. Even when he wanted to run the hell away, he stayed. He just couldn’t imagine leaving her alone, and for some reason he didn’t want to leave her with just Jin. On top of that, spending all that time with her didn’t really have any benefit for him! Sure, he complained about her lack of figure, but maybe that was an excuse, a way to talk himself out of seeing anything appealing. Because she was off limits…that girl was sweet and innocent, and needed him. For some reason he didn’t yet fathom, he couldn’t take advantage of that.  
  
But now…now she wasn’t a girl anymore, not really. She was twenty, past the minimum age for marriage, not that he wanted to settle down of course! Her slender fifteen year old form had bloomed into womanly curves. The argument that she was physically unappealing was quickly losing ground in his mind. Sure, she was still innocent, so there was that to hold him at bay. But it didn’t stop him from being upset that she was getting married! And she was marrying a clone of Fishface, who she had contacted just to tell about the engagement apparently.  
  
Mugen’s features fell into a scowl. Not only had she accepted the proposal while Mugen was there, but she had almost seemed to do it to spite him. That wasn’t Fuu though. Was it? She could be a whiner, and she could be spiteful, but she would definitely not use Junior Samurai just to get revenge. Besides, she liked the good guys. Like Jin…  
  
The former pirate was yanked from his train of thought by a scuffle sounding outside. It was close, maybe a few establishments away. Not his concern. Not at all. Absolutely no way was he getting inv-  
  
The he heard it. The sound was brief, obviously muffled by something almost as soon as it had been let loose, but it was unmistakable. It was her…and she was in trouble. His muscles tensed, he reached for his sword, hesitating a moment. He should let her fiancé handle it. Mugen wasn’t her hero anymore, Pretty Boy was.  
  
But what if that bastard wasn’t close enough to help? What if she was alone for some reason, and the only one who heard her was the rogue? Would he be able to live with himself if he didn’t do anything and something terrible happened?  
  
“Fuck,” The word was a soft grunt as he grasped his sword and lunged to his feet, making haste for the door, “I’m comin’ Girly!”  


 

* * *

 

With his hand steadily on the small of her back, Hiroshi guided Fuu toward her place of employment. It would be enjoyable; being able to eat with her there and not have to hurry so she could get back to work. A smile spread over his features as he thought about these things, not realizing that his fiancé was feeling uneasy.  
  
Not only was Fuu feeling slightly trapped by her betrothed’s hand on her back, but she couldn’t shake the strange sensation that was giving her gooseflesh. Something was about to happen. This ominous feeling hung in the air, but when she cast a sidelong glance at Hiroshi, she could tell he didn’t sense it.  
  
Time seemed to suddenly slow down, her heart thudding to a stop as a dark chuckle sounded from the alley they happened to be walking by. The sound was echoed by a chorus of similar amusement from another alley on the other side, almost directly across from the first.  
  
“H-hiroshi-kun…” Fuu stammered, forgetting to leave the honorific off as she stepped closer to her intended, half hiding behind him.  
  
Intent on protecting the woman he loved, the young man tensed, hand on the hilt of his blade as he cast his gaze back and forth between the two alleyways, waiting for the threatening presence to appear. A few moments passed with nothing but occasional sinister chuckles. Getting frustrated with the mental game, the samurai’s son growled out a challenge, “Are you just going to hide in the shadows laughing all day, or are you going to come out and fight, cowards?”  
  
“Oh-ho!” A sickeningly sweet voice sounded in response, “A tough guy, are ya? Steppin’ up ta protect yer little lady, how chivalrous…too bad it ain’t her we was supposed ta be gettin'.”  
  
Slowly a group of thuggish looking men stepped into view, illuminated by the lanterns that chased away the growing night. Each wore a similarly ugly smile, marred with a variety of battle scars. And each had a blade that they most certainly knew how to wield. A man in mostly tan clothing seemed to be the leader, leering at Hiroshi before letting his gaze wander to Fuu, looking her up and down, “Though of course, she might be better…”

“Yeah,” One of the other goons, a smaller statured man with bushy eyebrows giggled manically, “Bet the boss’d love a pretty thing like her!”  
  
Fuu cringed, once more wishing she’d brought along her tonto. In front of her, her fiancé narrowed his eyes, shifting his stance to be ready if they attacked. He could guess who these guys were, “You had best leave her alone…”  
  
“Think you get ta order us around, Gijouhei-kun?” The honorific was tacked on by the lead thug with a sneer, “Daddy’s made some pretty nasty enemies tryin’ ta chase our gang outta here. We don’t take kindly to some Shogun no Inu tellin’ us what ta do!”  
  
Hiroshi huffed at their confirmation of his suspicions. A nudge of his elbow was gently given against Fuu, urging her to make a run for it, “Hn, so the Yakuza is out for blood? The Gijouhei heir should be plenty then…”  
  
Taking her fiance’s hint, the waitress inched back a few steps, letting him draw their attention to himself. Yakuza were bad news, she’d dealt with them before, during her search for her father. When she thought she could, she made a dash for it. Intent on taking shelter in the tea house.  
  
“No ya don’t!” Bush Brow crowed as he nabbed her around the waist, apparently having seen her trying to sneak away, and maneuvered himself to catch her, “Pretty little thing, smells so clean, but I can fix that!”  
  
“Fuu!” It was a gasp let out by Hiroshi as he realized he’d just sent his love into danger’s arms, quite literally. The distraction the waitress’ capture provided was all the opportunity the Yakuza thugs needed. Three of them rushed the young male, safety in numbers, and swept their blades toward him. By the time he had refocused on the fight, he was only able to counter one of them. A cry of pain escaped his lips as he collapsed to the ground, a deep slash across his ribs on one side, and another over his lower back. The cuts were deep, his breathing labored as he tried to push himself off the ground, only to collapse once more.  
  
“Hir-“ Fuu tried to scream his name, a desperate plea for his survival, but her captor pushed his hand firmly over her mouth, giggling and grinning wickedly.  
  
“Nuh-uh-uh!” He shook his head scoldingly, “You ain’t goin’ nowhere! Hey, guys! Hurry and finish Gijouhei-chan off! I want to have my fun with the girl!”  
  
“You’ll hafta talk to Boss ‘bout that fun, girl’s his first!” The lead thug turn away from the pouting Yakuza who maintained his grip on the waitress. A geta-clad foot came into hard contact with Hiroshi’s gut, just below where he had been slashed, earning a weak, gasping cry from the samurai’s son, “This boy’s good as dead anyway. Let’s get goin’.”  
  
The group began to make their way down the alley ways they had come from, Bush Brow dragging a struggling Fuu along the way, “Quiet, girl! If yer lucky you’ll get ta play with me ‘stead a Boss! He plays rough, hah-OUCH!”  
  
What had started as another fit of giggles turned to a cry of pain as the waitress’ teeth managed to finally find the disgustingly sweaty and filthy skin of her captor’s hand. Though a snide comment sprang to mind, Fuu knew she had no time to mock the man, she had to find safety, and help for Hiroshi! While the Yakuza was distracted by his pain, she writhed out of his grasp and took off, “Hey! Hey someone, help! Help me!”  
  
“Dammit!” The leader hissed, smacking the man who had let their captive escape, then shouting orders to his other gang members, “You idiot! Someone get her!”  
  
The thud of wooden geta against dirt was gaining on her, and she knew she wouldn’t make it to the end of the alley without getting caught again. None of the people in the streets seemed to notice. She thought she heard a familiar and demanding voice just out of sight, had he not left Edo yet? It was probably wishful thinking brought on by memories of rescues past, but she knew as she felt the strong hands of another Yakuza gripping her wrists that she had to at least try, “MUGEN!”  
  
Since the time of the trio’s travels through Japan, it seemed Mugen must have made a name for himself in the underworld. He hadn’t let on to Fuu, but he had actually made an effort at legit work, taking on body guard jobs from time to time, several of which pitted him against Yakuza branches.  
  
It was for this reason that as his name left her lips, the man who had gripped her arms hastily swung her form over his shoulder and took off, hissing to his comrades as he passed them, “Mugen’s in town!”  
  
Several murmured curses followed his words. If they still planned to take the girl to their boss, they had to hurry. Security at headquarters was thick, so they doubted the rogue would be able to get in if they could make it that far!  


 

* * *

  
  
By the time Mugen sprinted out of the tea house and onto the street, Fuu was gone. A circle of gossiping pedestrians had crowded close at one spot several buildings away. That had to mean someone there could give him some answers, even if he had to beat them out of the bastards! Dirt and dust flew up in the wake of his steel lined geta as he dashed down the road, never thinking to stop and glance down the alleyways, only desperate to find out what had happened, “Oi! Outta my way!”  
  
He roughly shoved the onlookers aside, heart pounding as it occurred to him they could be looking at Fuu’s lifeless form. As he finally reached the center, what he saw caused relief and concern at the same moment. A familiar form lay in the dirt, bleeding from deep gashes to front and back, struggling to attempt to rise. It wasn’t Fuu, but he knew she’d be heartbroken at the man in the road’s fate, “Shit…stop that, Pretty Boy! You’re only gonna make it worse! Gah, fuck! I gotta find Fuu! Where the hell did they take her, can ya tell me?”

He knew he should get help for the samurai’s son. If he didn’t at least try, he knew the damn girl would never forgive him. But he would be wasting time that could be spent getting her back! His gaze darted rapidly between the young man at his feet, who had obediently stopped fighting, and the door the tea house, several buildings away.  
  
“Ya-yakuza…” Hiroshi winced as he managed to stumble over his answer, “They took…Fuu-ch-chan…save…save her…Mugen…”  
  
Well, didn’t that figure. For the first time in four years the trio met in the same city, and Girly got herself kidnapped. Now all he had to do was figure out where the bastards took her…  
  
As though the girl in question somehow knew what he wanted, a shout ripped through the air from an alley that split off from the road a shop or two closer to the tea house. Mugen took the time to grab a nearby woman by the elbow, gripping her tightly to ensure she was paying attention. Wide, fear filled eyes turned to him as he hissed a command, “Go to that tea house and tell the hag in charge that Pretty Boy needs help! You undertand? Oi! Understand?”  
  
At first the woman tremble in fear, staring in stunned silence as he issued his command. Then, as he repeated the order, she gave a nod, dashing off as soon as he released her. He didn’t bother watching to see whether she had actually listened. He’d done what he could for the samurai’s son, Fuu was his priority.  
  
No sooner had Mugen sent the stranger on her way than he was also darting down the road, sword in his grasp, ready for a fight. With a skid he turned down the alley, able to see the tail end of the group of thugs disappearing around the bend onto a little used road that went in the direction of back entrance of the pleasure district, which must have been run by this yakuza gang.  
  
“Oi! You’d better let her go, you bastards!” He shouted after the group, still running, making long strides as he attempted to catch them. He knew he could, they couldn’t move very quickly if they planned to stay together, especially when they had to make sure to keep the girl with them, “I said fucking stop!”  


 

* * *

  
  
Though they had nearly reached Hiroshi’s home, Jin suddenly came to a stop, causing Shino to pause a few steps later. Seeing that her spouse seemed to be listening to the wind, the former prostitute strained her own ears, “Jin, dear, is something wrong?”  
  
“Fuu…” He murmured, his usually stoic expression shifting slightly to take on a concerned frown, “It might be my imagination…”  
  
“What might be?” Shino quickly returned to his side, looking quite worried as she gazed down the road in the direction they’d come. Jin’s gaze followed hers, and they could both clearly see people hurrying towards where they had left their friends, “She’s in trouble…what happened?”  
  
“I’m not psychic…” He sighed in mild irritation as his wife seemed to seek the exact nature of the disturbance he sensed. She shot him an apologetic look as he explained what he did know, “It was far off, but I think I heard her shout for Mugen…”  
  
“For Mugen?” Shino gnawed her lower lip in anxiety, “You don’t think Hiroshi-san actually hurt her, do you?”  
  
The ronin shook his head slowly, “She’s in trouble, but I don’t think Hiroshi-san is to blame. I should go”

As he moved toward the scene of the incident, his bride moved to follow him, bumping into him as he stopped suddenly and let out another sigh, “I said I should go…you should continue to the house.”  
  
“But Fuu-chan is in danger! She helped when I was in the brothel! I want to-“ Shino began to protest, but went silent at a stern look from her husband that let her know there would be no arguments allowed.  
  
“You wish to repay that kindness with your life, and that of our child? It is better for you to stay safe, Shino. Mugen will save her, he has before.” Jin tried to remain calm, even as the thought of losing his wife and unborn child tore at his heart. He mentioned Mugen’s past rescues of their friend in order to persuade that things would be alright, and to appeal to her sense of romance. Mugen would play the hero, he knew Shino would think it might bring the rogue and Fuu together, “I simply go to see if I can assist.”  
  
Her lips set in a thin line, the former brothel girl gave a resigned nod. She could tell what Jin was trying to do by specifically mentioning the former pirate. She also knew that what he said was, technically true, Mugen had always saved Fuu. It didn’t mean she liked feeling helpless when her friends needed her though, “Alright then, Jin, dear. But be safe. And bring them back, both of them.”  
  
“Hn,” He gave a small sound of agreement before a stoic smirk lifted his features, “Though I doubt Mugen will be welcome in the house…”  
  
Shino slapped him lightly on the arm, a sign that she found the remark amusing despite her scolding, “Just keep them safe, then! Now go, before you’re too late!”  
  
And so Shino moved as swiftly as a pregnant woman could to finish her way to the house while Jin took off at a sprint towards the scene near the tea house. When the ronin arrived, the circle had widened, but still remained gathered, allowing work space for the woman who ran Fuu’s place of employ to kneel beside Hiroshi, her face contorted with worry.  
  
Jin made his way to the center of the crowd, as politely as he could manage and still be quick about it. His gaze flickered over the scene, and he knew that someone had attacked, taken Fuu and injured Hiroshi, and then Mugen had given chase. The vagrant would have to take care of their friend on his own, help was needed here.  
  
A firm but comforting hand was placed on the woman’s shoulder. The man was searching his mind for remnants of what he had picked up from seeing Fuu tend his own woulds, as well as Mugen’s, during their journey, “Fetch warm water, towels, blankets…”  
  
The younger male would need stitches most likely, but that was something Jin wasn’t sure how to do. He took up a place at the woman’s side, sitting on his heels, and once he had done so, the tea house matron climbed to her feet and raced off, grabbing another girl to help her gather supplies, “I need someone to fetch the doctor. I know there must be one, Edo is a big enough city. And someone should get the boy’s father as well, Gijouhei-san is a samurai, he and his family live on the edge of town.”  
  
Two of the younger members of the gathered crowd, teenagers by the looks of them, perhaps fifteen or so, stepped forward. A young girl, hair in a tight bun, took off in the direction of the doctor, or at least Jin hoped that was where she was going. The boy, whose hair was in a short ponytail, raced toward Hiroshi’s home.  
  
Now that the most important orders had been given, the ronin’s attention turned back to the wounded party. The young man was breathing heavily, struggling with each intake of air, wheezing each time he let it escape. He was pale, far more so than usual, a cold sweat beading on his forehead. His eyes cracked open just enough to shift an unfocused gaze toward the ronin, “F-fuu-chan…w-where…”  
  
“Mugen has gone for her…do not worry…” Jin tried to sound comforting. He knew that having the girl in the rogue’s presence concerned her fiancé, but he was sure that he wouldn’t object to Fuu being rescued, even if it was by a rival in love. After all, if Shino were in danger, he would do anything to have her safe, no matter whom he had to entrust with her life.  
  
Hiroshi’s eyes closed, his head rolling to the side, facing away from Jin who could only tell he still lived because the labored breathing continued. Soon enough, the women who had gone to fetch the supplies returned, each kneeling near the injured man, ready to help in whatever way they could.  
  
“I make no promises, but I will do what I can. I have sent for the doctor,” The ronin informed the women, dipping a towel in a pot of water heated to be warm but not scalding and dapping at the slashes to clean them, “We can clean the wounds and make him as comfortable as possible while we wait…”  


 

* * *

  
  
A feral grin spread over Mugen’s features as he chased after his quarry. He might have lost them with all the turns and back alley roads they were taking, had Fuu not be such a spitfire. He could her her berating them every so often, demanding that the Yakuza thugs put her down, and stating with utter confidence that they would find themselves dead if they didn’t.  
  
And they would, he’d make sure of that. They’d be dead whether they let her go or not. Especially when he heard a particularly loud complaint regarding where she should, and should not, be touched. Mugen growled angrily at that one, promising himself that whatever hand had led to that protest would be the first thing he hacked off!  


 

* * *

 

“Dammit, he’s still after us! We gotta lose this guy!” The leader griped as he cut another sharp turn through the labyrinth his group was weaving towards their headquarters. One arm was wrapped firmly around the captive’s waist to hold her over his shoulder, he only wished the other could get a solid grasp on her mouth to keep her quiet.  
  
“Boy, are you guys gonna get it! I’m telling you to let me go! Mugen’s not going to let you escape!” She was blathering, and he jostled her to attempt to shut her up, which worked if only for a minute.  
  
It might have lasted longer if a certain giggly yakuza hadn’t chosen that moment to attempt a punishment. Bush Brow reached up, being shorter of stature than the other members this was necessary, and swatted her on the behind, “Uh-uh! Hushy-hush! That’s for bitin’, and talkin’ outta turn!”  
  
Fuu shrieked and writhed wildly in the leader’s grasp, lashing out with her foot, which managed to successfully catch the pervert in the face and knock him stumbling back, “YOU PERVERT! Where do you think you TOUCHING! Get your disgusting hand off me!”  
  
“Stop foolin’ ‘round!” The leader hissed, knowing that Mugen definitely had their location after that outburst, “You wanna get us killed, nimrod?  
  
“And you,” Another firm jostle was given to the girl draped over his shoulder, “Shut yer trap, or ya might not live ta see Mugen even if he does get us!”  
  
“Bit late for that, ain’t it?” A rough voice landed on the leader’s ear, the entire group whirling to see a wild faced man with bloodlust in his steely gaze. In one hand he held a severed arm, elbow to hand, that had once belonged to the shrieking man kneeling beside him.  
  
Bush Brow grasped the stump that had once been his dominant arm, screaming in absolute horror. He’d fallen behind after the kick to his face, and been caught by surprise as the vagrant skidded into the alley, slicing off his arm below the elbow. Now he glanced up in shock and terror as the swordsman tossed the appendage toward the leader, letting it land at the other man’s feet in a puff of dirt.  
  
“Looks like Girly got a nice kick in ta his face, but I figured the punishment should be more personal…so what d’ya-“ With a sigh he flicked his blade and severed the still shrieking man’s head from his shoulders, “Ugh, couldn’t hear myself thinkin’. What d'ya say ya let her go?”

“Heh,” A nervous laugh slipped past the leader’s lips at the demand accompanied by his comrade’s death, “Heheh…so yer Mugen, eh? What was it they call ya? Dancin’ Death or somethin’, I think. Mighty Bodyguard-san…”  
  
Mugen’s eyes narrowed at the comments. He wasn’t aware his reputation had gotten this far, and he hadn’t taken any such jobs since being in Edo, “Somethin’ like that, you gonna let the girl go or what?”  
  
Fuu tried to look at the former pirate from her place hung over the yakuza’s shoulder, unfortunately most of what she saw was the back of the thug’s head. She had no clue what all this talk about Dancing Death and stuff was, but it didn’t really matter. One thing mattered to her right then, as tears of relief began to form in her eyes, “M-mugen! You came!”  
  
“Yeah, I came.” Mugen huffed in response, his sword draped lazily over his shoulder as he waited for the next thug to dare attack him, “Didn’t really think I’d just let them have ya, did ya, Fuu?”  
  
Only a part of what her rescuer had said managed to register before a huge realization hit her. Brown eyes widened even more than usual as she gasped softly. He’d called her by name! He hardly ever did that…in fact, had he ever done so? Certainly not during his stay in Edo, “Mugen…”  
  
“H-hey! Cut out the sap, Girly!” The vagrant had just realized that he’d slipped and used her given name. He gulped to fight the sensation of heat rising in his face, the last thing he needed was the distraction of embarrassment and emotions when he had some ass to kick!  
  
“Oh-ho!” The man who held Fuu over his shoulder smirked and jostled her, bouncing her form and using his free hand to give her rear a firm slap and squeeze, “I see, looks like we’ve got Mugen’s woman, huh?”  
  
At the rough treatment from her captor the waitress let out a squeak, renewing her struggles as he groped her, face flushing brightly at the man dubbing her Mugen’s woman, “H-hey, stop that!”  
  
“Probably a good idea ta let her go then, huh?” Mugen replied with a smirk, though his eyes were a blaze at the way the other male manhandled Fuu. When she didn’t hear him spitting vicious denials of her being his woman, the twenty year old female stopped struggling in shock, whipping her head around to once more attempt looking at him as her features went from pink to crimson.  
  
“See, here’s the thing…” As the leader of the yakuza group spoke his gang was circling cautiously round the former pirate, looking for angles of attack, “Once I got somethin’, I dun like ta give it up, an’ I know the Boss’d real mad if I let this beauty go…”

Steel eyes shifted as Mugen observed the group surrounding him, he’d had harder fights, this was a piece of cake. With a sneer he retorted, “Hey, it’s your life…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I'm going to give you some things to consider about a question I have for you. These include facts about the rest of this trilogy, but nothing too detailed. I figured it was only fair to warn you they were listed here. 
> 
> Anyway, this end note should come after each of the remaining chapters of this fic. I want some input on what to do to best please readers!
> 
> * * *
> 
> **The Facts to Consider:**  
>  ***** The second story (Kakyaku) serves mostly as a bridge between the the first and third.  
>  ***** Story 2 (Kakyaku) is about the families of the Fuugen and Jino pairings growing together over time.  
>  ***** Story 3 (Seichou) is about Fuugen child and Jino child having an adventure of their own, with some chapters focused on their parents.  
>  ***** I have started Kakyaku, but am having some trouble with it so it may take a while.
> 
> * * *
> 
> **The Question Asked:** Should I post/write Kakyaku (story 2) and Seichou (story 3) simultaneously or in order?


	11. Rescues and Realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiroshi's fate is in the hands of a doctor. Jin, Shino, and his parents wait for news of the outcome. 
> 
> Meanwhile Mugen sets about the familiar routine of playing hero, making certain realizations about his thoughts towards Fuu in the process. As the story begins to reach its peak, can Mugen keep his resolve to let Fuu marry Hiroshi, or are some things just too hard too let go of?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the delay. I've been trying to figure out what to do about the sequels...the one that is next chronologically is giving me fits three chapters in, and I'm debating skipping to the third one (more focused on the kids) and just writing the second as inspiration hits. I have more of the plot for the third one figured out...

Jin lingered in a corner of the room, eyes closed behind his glasses as he listened to the bustle of the doctor setting about trying to mend Hiroshi’s wounds. It had been a tricky endeavor to move the heavily injured young man into the nearest available establishment (only the owner of the tea house would offer her shop for use, closing the business to customers) but they couldn’t properly tend to him in the street where the gashes would surely become infected.

Thus, once the doctor had arrived, Jin had helped to relocate the poor samurai’s son. That was where his service had ended, though; seeing as his specialty was inflicting wounds rather than mending them. The tea house matron had been pressed into service as a nurse, fetching supplies upon request of the medical professional.

Suddenly the door to the makeshift infirmary was flung open as Hiroshi’s mother burst in, “Hiroshi! Where’s Hiroshi? Where is my son?”

“Gijouhei-san, I don’t think-” A very pregnant Shino was trying to calm the frantic woman, since it seemed even the samurai’s usual calm had abandoned him; if his pale and despondent appearance was anything to go by.

“You people DON’T think! That’s part of the problem!” The angry and worried woman snapped at the younger one. If that devious waitress hadn’t presumed to be worthy of her son, then Hiroshi wouldn’t have been injured! It was all Fuu’s fault, so far as she was concerned, and any friends of that bratty girl could take the blame with her!

With a sigh, Jin made to rise. All the racket was certainly not going to help the doctor concentrate, nor was it good for Hiroshi’s health. And if the elder samurai wasn’t going to make an effort to silence his hysterical wife, then it certainly shouldn’t fall to a pregnant woman to carry the stress of the burden.

Jin’s approach went unnoticed by the desperate mother, who had finally spotted her son lying on a blanket that had been spread in a cleared out corner of the tea house and moved to rush in his direction. “Hiroshi!”

Suddenly a pale hand on her shoulder was stopping her, and she glared at it’s source. How dare this bespectacled ronin touch her! How dare he prevent her from reaching her son! In a dangerous mama bear growl the woman snarled, “Move!”

“It would best for you to remain outside, your fretting won’t help,” Jin spoke calmly to the panicked woman before looking past her to the silent and ill looking samurai that was her spouse, “Be there for her.”

The elder man lifted dim and distant eyes to gaze at the ronin, not daring to glance in the direction of his son. Unlike his frantic wife, he knew full well where the blame rested. From the account given by the teen who had told them what happened, a group of yakuza had attacked. That meant they had been after Hiroshi from the start. It was an act of revenge, striking against his son to get at him. Which made it his fault. His fault if his son died.

Adjusting his glasses with a sigh, the ronin noticed that his words hadn’t gotten through to the despondent man, though at least Hiroshi’s mother had stormed back outside after a last challenging glare. It wasn’t hard to guess from the demeanor of the older man what was running through his head, “What’s happened can’t be changed, what must be done must be done.”

The statement was punctuated with a pointed look into the street, where Hiroshi’s mother now paced outside the establishment. Following the ronin’s gaze, the samurai’s brow furrowed in concern for his spouse. He had to be there for her, but he was the source of her pain. With a sigh of his own he gave a nod, determining that that meant he had all the more reason to be the one to provide comfort, “You’re youth doesn’t hinder your wisdom, does it?”

There was no chance to reply, though Jin was sure the question was rhetorical anyhow, as the man stepped outside to place a hand on his wife’s shoulder. Immediately the Gijouhei matriarch collapsed into her husband’s arms weeping.

Shino moved to Jin’s side, leaning her own head against his shoulder, “That was very well done, Jin, dear.”

“Hn…” He turned a slight smile to his own wife as she offered praise for his handling of the situation, “You shouldn’t have rushed with them…”

As the stoic ronin rested a pale hand over her swollen abdomen in concern, Shino couldn’t help but smile and place her own small hand over it, “I’m fine, Jin, dear. And someone had to try to calm her…”

This didn’t seem to ease the worry etched into the young male’s features, though. Sometimes the former brothel worker wished he would fret over her less, though she did appreciate how much he cared. Leaning up she placed a soft kiss on his cheek, earning a nice flushing of his pale features at her bold public display, “Really, I’m fine, Jin. I’ll take it easy now.”

With that reassurance she moved toward the corner where Jin had been sitting, taking a place in a chair at one of the tables normally used by tea house patrons. Her husband soon settled at her side, his eyes drifting shut again behind his glasses as he focused on the sounds around him, waiting for the doctor to report some outcome for the situation.

 

* * *

 

  
Mugen was surrounded, but wore a confident smirk nonetheless. He wasn’t sure how many thugs there were, since counting wasn’t something he liked to waste a lot of time on, but he could handle them. He held his sword out, shifting it’s tip from one enemy to the next as he tried to determine which of them he wanted to kill first. Of course, he could always wait to see if one of them made a move.

The yakuza around him exchanged glances, trying in vain to hide their nervousness. If they’d really thought they stood a chance they wouldn’t have run from Mugen in the first place, after all. They knew what they were supposed to be...fodder for the madman. They were sacrifices meant to delay him so the higher ranking member could get away. And dying was scary. Dying at the hands of the Dancing Death had them scared shitless.

With a smirk of his own, the head of the small outing of yakuza temporarily set Fuu down, pulling her close to his side with her arms pinned down, “I’ll let you have a last look at him, girl. You belong to us now, so make a pretty memory of his ugly face.”

Mugen bristled, finding that the creep had gotten far to close to Fuu while murmuring to her, especially since he made no real effort to actually hide his words! The vagrant couldn’t suppress a snarl as the lead thug pressed his face in closer to the struggling waitress, his nasty yakuza lips grazing against her jaw before he nipped at her earlobe.

Fuu wanted to tell Mugen to ignore the attempt to distract him, knowing similar tactics had been Hiroshi’s downfall. But honestly she doubted the jerk holding her was providing as much distraction with his actions as her own voice crying out might. She was shocked at an animalistic snarl from Mugen’s direction, so much so that it momentarily caused her struggles to cease, but only until she felt the heat of the yakuza’s breath on her jaw right before his teeth closed on her earlobe. That set her to thrashing like a fish on a line, “What the HELL? Let me go!”

At the same time Mugen made to lunge forward, momentarily seeming to forget that he was surrounded by thugs, “YOU’RE A DEAD MAN!”

The distraction tactic seemed to have worked, which thrilled the lead thug, who grinned viciously, deciding to keep tempting fate a moment longer by pulling the girl around in front of him and trapping her arms in a firm one armed embrace before slipping his free hand ever so slowly into the opening of her kimono, “Oh-ho, am I?”

Fire blazed in Mugen’s eyes, and even though one would have thought he was far too distracted with his desire to slaughter the one forcibly groping Fuu to pay attention to anything else, his body seemed to go into autopilot where the rest of the world was concerned. Anything that tried to stand between him and his final target would be automatically cut down, as was proven when the first three swordsman rushed in at once.

Seemingly without even having to think about it, Mugen juked down, swinging his leg out in one direction, and his sword hand out in the other. One attacker was tripped, winded as he hit the ground hard on his back. Another suddenly found it very hard to keep balance with only one leg. In a fluid motion, Mugen was back up, sword plunging into the throat of the man who had tripped, twisting to ensure maximum suffering as he kicked the third guy in the gut.

The small troupes designated leader, who had stood confidently through Mugen’s glares, and even being elbowed in the stomach by Fuu for groping her, seemed suddenly worried. Still holding tight to the girl, he was now calculating her value as a hostage. He would make a break for it, let his minions handle the madman while they could as he attempted to make it to headquarters. Should that fail, perhaps he could negotiate the girl’s life for his own? Would that work? Not with the Dancing Death, he’d pushed his luck too far, “Shit…”

Still holding tight to Fuu, the yakuza debated how to best make his escape, absolute terror setting in as he watched Mugen move through the group. Though each opponent was cut down in what seemed a graceful, effortless dance, they kept loyally fighting. Mugen had gone through about half the group by the time the man that acted as their leader finally decided to drop his grip on the captive and run for it.

Fuu was free, trembling with the surge of adrenaline that came with being kidnapped, with the absolutely horrifying awe that came from watching Mugen fight so ruthlessly. It was a frightening sight, true, and yet she didn’t fear him. Or rather didn’t fear that he would ever physically harm her. Any time he unleashed those powers of his before her, it had been to save her. The waitress took a few steps back, not to get away from Mugen, but to prevent becoming an obstacle for him as she pressed herself as flat as possible against one of the walls that lined the alleyway. Her knees gave out and she sank to the ground.

It didn’t take long to slice through the last of the group, especially after Mugen realized his main target had made a dash for it. He couldn’t let that creep get away! Dropping into his signature head spin, his legs flailing out wildly, the vagrant landed harsh, bone crushing kicks to the jaws of his final two opponents before gracefully flipping back onto his feet, and removing their heads in a quick sweep. He would have let them suffer more, but there wasn’t time if he was going after the groper.

Taking only enough time to check on Fuu, and perhaps catch some breath after fighting off the group of thugs, he flicked the gathered blood from his blade and slung it over her shoulder before casually approaching the trembling girl. She sat against the wall, her knees pulled up to her chest, gaze dropped to the side so she wouldn’t have to watch him. He felt a pang of something in his chest at the notion that she couldn’t even look his way, “Oi, Girly…”

Slowly, the waitress blinked and looked up at the blood spattered vagrant, forcing herself to give him a once over and be certain none of the blood was his. Of course, he had a few cuts and gashes, it couldn’t be helped, but most was from the slaughter he had inflicted, “Mugen…”

Her voice quavered, and even as dense as he sometimes was, the former pirate could tell she was close to tears. In his mind, it translated to concern for her fiance, not for him, “He’s alive…”

She blinked as he spoke, confused by who he meant for a moment. Mugen interpreted this as disbelief of what was, to the best of his knowledge, a true statement, “Pretty B-...Hiroshi...whatever...he’s alive...least he was.”

“Oh.” Fuu hadn’t really forgotten about the young samurai, her concern for Mugen and the fear of the situation she had been in had just pushed him to the back of her mind. Still, she was a bit let down that after the valiant rescue, that was what the former bodyguard had to say, “I’m glad.”

“Yeah...wait here, I’ll get you back to him,” Mugen’s stomach twisted at the thought of delivering Fuu back into the arms of someone who hadn’t been able to protect her. But he had one last punk to kill before that moment came, and he was going to do so nice and slow.

With that in mind, the ex-pirate turned on heel, taking off down the twisting alleyways in the direction the yakuza had gone. He faintly heard Fuu calling for him to wait, but he didn’t have time for that. He was going to kill the grabby son of a bitch who thought he could escape.

 

* * *

 

Fuu seemed to register a hint of bitterness as the rogue spoke about Hiroshi, and the fact that he made a point to actually use the young samurai’s name hadn’t escaped her. Still, she thought she was probably reading too much into things. Mugen didn’t see her as anything to get jealous over, and he never would. It was just the way things were. There was probably some reward for coming to get her. Hiroshi had offered some payment, that had to be it.

But when she had been called Mugen’s woman, he hadn’t denied it, though she had been certain he would have. And was it her imagination, or had he seemed to be absolutely outraged by that slimy creep’s attention to her. She shuddered as she remembered the feeling of his teeth on her ear, but along with it came the recollection of Mugen’s screaming that the perpetrator was a dead man.

As though this memory seemed to somehow spark his own, the former bodyguard murmured a half hearted promise to return her to her intended before taking off after the last thug. He’d seemed disappointed at the thought of having to return her, hadn’t he?

“Ah…” By the time she gathered the nerve to look up and inquire, all she saw was his retreating back, “Mugen, wait!”

He didn’t stop, vanishing around a bend of the alleyway before she could try to yell at him any further. For several moments large brown eyes gazed in the direction he had gone, the waitress playing the rescue over in her mind several times, trying to interpret what the events meant.

Finally she shook her head fiercely in exasperation, her hands balling into fists that proceeded to beat the sides of her own head in an attempt to remove any lingering foolish notions, “Gah! It’s impossible! Stop being stupid, Fuu! He’s MUGEN, after all! He doesn’t feel those things, and he definitely doesn’t feel them for you! Besides, you have Hiroshi-kun! So why are you even worried about it!”

Leaning back against the wall with her legs stretched in front of her she gave a weary sigh, closing her eyes and tilting her head back, “Of course he saved you...it’s what he does, and it doesn’t mean anything….he’s Mugen, after all…”

“Yeah, that’s who I am...what of it, Girly?” Fuu jumped in surprise at the sound of the man’s voice, wondering just how much he had heard. Her startled reaction was met with a raised brow, “What?”

“N-nothing!” She stammered out, her reply coming perhaps a bit too quickly if the curious gaze the former pirate gave her was any indication. She climbed to her feet, dusting her kimono off as an excuse to look anywhere but his direction, certain her face was brightly flushed.

 

* * *

 

  
Mugen had a bit of trouble tracking the yakuza down, not much, but enough to make it annoying. The stupid idiot had taken a wrong turn in his desperation to get away and ended up in a dead end. Certain that the madman was hot on his trail, he’d decided to try scaling a pile of crates to get away quickly, but the crates had collapsed with a crash, leading the rogue right to him.

The punk was climbing out of the rubble when the former pirate arrived, sword in hand and murder in his eyes. That caused the thug to freeze a moment, “N-now, now, M-mugen-san...I...I really didn’t...I didn’t mean...that is...we thought she was with the Gijouhei kid...uh...H-hiroshi! We thought she was his! We...we had no idea...that was y-your...woman…”

This explanation only caused the man to become more agitated, since it served as a reminder that Fuu wasn’t actually his, “She ain’t mine...don’t mean I wanna see your filthy hands on her!”

“Sh-she’s not?” The man squeaked out in surprise, having been certain that his assessment was accurate.

The swordsman twitched a brow in growing irritation, “Guess there’s a difference between wanting and having, huh? Grab yer sword. I ain’t killin ya if ya can’t fight back…”

Hearing the ultimatum didn’t encourage the yakuza to draw his blade, rather he delayed doing so as long as possible, “Ah...I...I see...playing hero...to win her…?”

“Hasn’t worked yet...ain’t gonna start hoping now,” Mugen shrugged in dismissal of the idea. This guy was a deadman anyway, so there was no harm in the conversation, and it felt good to actually speak about what he felt, like some flood gate opened and released a wave of pressure. He just hoped he could stop the flow when he was done, “Now get yer sword, cuz otherwise I’ll just leave ya real hurt where no one can find ya...won’t be me doing the killing. Infection can do that part.”

“Heh…” Fear showed plainly in the dead man’s eyes as he realized he was doomed no matter what tactics he tried. A laugh showed his sanity had cracked with his impending fate, “Hahahah! Can’t beat ‘em all, huh? At least not when a girl’s the prize!”

Somehow, the fact that this man had spoken of Fuu like an object to be won multiple times now was pissing Mugen off more than he’d ever thought it would. He twitched again, and despite his warnings that he would only mame and abandon the man, he suddenly decided that armed or not, this guy was dying by his hand.

And that death started with a sword being run through the hysterical man’s gut, repeatedly, until the only sound he could make was the gurgle of his own blood rising in his throat. Each time the blade penetrated the yakuza’s stomach, it was given a sharp twist to increase the suffering. When the gurgling reached his ears, Mugen decided to end it, and sliced the creeps throat, a feeble spray of blood resulting as his slowed pulse tried to maintain a flow through the suddenly severed artery. His shins were splattered with the slick red, but he paid it no mind, glaring at the corpse as he flicked his sword to the side to clear it of residue.

“She ain’t mine, bastard, but it don’t mean I ain’t gonna always protect her…” He muttered, the sentiment landing on unhearing ears as he turned and stalked back to where he had left Fuu.

He might have gotten lost, if not for her soft murmurs. He wasn’t focusing on the words, even as he drew near enough to hear them he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts. He couldn’t make Fuu love him, and he didn’t want to. She deserved better than a damnn murderer, that samurai brat could provide for her at least. As for protecting her, well, he’d stick around to make sure she was safe, since evidently Pretty Boy wasn’t skilled enough. Even if he had to hang out without her knowing he was there, he would protect her. It was all he could really do.

As he approached the bend that would lead to where he had left the girl in question, he suddenly heard his name on her lips, an almost mournful tone to her voice, “-doesn’t mean anything...he’s Mugen, after all…”

It really didn’t mean anything, then. The fact that he saved her, or whatever she was mumbling about, she just took for granted that he was there. Well, she was right. She was part of him now, whether he liked it or not, he realized, and he would do anything for her, even let her go, he supposed. It just hurt to hear her say it didn’t mean anything.

Not willing to give her a chance to utter more painful words, Mugen made himself known, stepping into the alley where she sat, “Yeah, that’s who I am...what of it, Girly?”

He noticed that the girl seemed quite caught off guard by his sudden appearance, at least if the slight jolt that went through her and the soft squeak she let out were any indication. His features creased into a curious frown, “What?”

“N-nothing!” That nervous response slipped out too easily for the vagrant’s liking, as though she were hiding something. He might not be smart, but he wasn’t completely stupid! Steely eyes narrowed on the waitress as she climbed to her feet, her small hands swatting at her kimono to rid the fabric of dirt. He hated to think that she might be afraid of him, let alone so much afraid that the mere sound of his voice scared her.

His gaze dropped to the side at that heartbreaking thought, but stopped partway. Unable to help himself, he let his sights linger as her attempts to dust herself moved to the curve of her backside, slender fingers spread as she patted the pink kimono there to send up clouds of dust, her head craned round in an effort to see her progress. He couldn’t see her face, but he was certain her brows were pulled together in frustrated concentration as she tried to make sure to even get the spots she couldn’t see herself, her tongue might even be poking from the corner of her mouth in determination.

A smirk spread over his features at the notion of the familiar expression, and he let out a soft huff of laughter, earning a mild glare from the girl who was now a woman. Quickly he tore his gaze from her backside, casting it skyward. He wasn’t fast enough, though, if the slightly pink tint of her features was any indication. With a smirk that bordered on grinning he decided to poke a bit of fun at her, “What’s with the look, Girly? Expecting me to help?”

“Eh?” Fuu’s cheeks had been pink before, though now they brightened to a shade of scarlet that crept down her neck and spread up onto her ears, “N-no! Why would you even….I mean….well...wh-what about you?! Were you enjoying the view?!”

Ah, so he had been caught looking. Not that she probably cared if he looked, she was only embarrassed because of her proper values or whatever...not specifically because it had been him. That was the thought that helped him keep from growing flustered as well, a lazy look dropping once more to her rear in assessment, “It’s not much of a view...seen worse though, I guess. Missed a spot, by the way.”

“Mugen…” She seethed at his initial insult, angered by the fact that he could so blatantly dismiss the fact he had seen something worth staring at! Then the second phrase registered, “Wait...huh?”

“Ya missed a spot…” The vagrant repeated, a scarred brow lifting in curiosity. He’d stated that pretty clearly, right?

“No not th-...oh neverm-...right. Missed a spot...I’ll get it.” She started out in a bold attempt to get him to repeat the backhanded compliment, but lost her courage shortly into the effort, eventually turning her head to hide a blush and renewing her efforts to pat the dust away.

Now Mugen was very confused. Clearly she hadn’t been questioning the most recent thing he’d said...rather something he’d mentioned seemed to really embarrass her. The comment about her ass made the most sense in that regard, but she would only be embarrassed by that because of her good girl nature, right? So then why in the world would she want to hear it again? Unless the hag at the tea house had been right earlier...had his insults had an impact on her? But that was how they always were, he insulted her, she insulted him. Besides, Fuu didn’t really care what he thought, she didn’t see him as anything but a bodyguard and possibly a friend.

“Some girl four years ago...whined a lot about a smelly samurai...now her ass was nothin’ special at all…” He smirked as he slipped in another strange comment, “Looks good, now. We should get ya back to Pre-...Hiroshi.”

Fuu froze with her hands splayed over her backside in mid-pat. Had Mugen just said that he’d snuck a peek at her butt during their travels four years earlier? He’d insulted it in the same breath...but was he also saying he liked how it looked now by comparison? And was the comment about it looking good now referring to whether it was still dusty, or her physical development over the years? She tried hard not to blush, especially when he reminded her that she had to return to her fiance. If the former bodyguard was trying to flirt, then he had no intention of actually attempting anything beyond that. Which was fine, she reminded herself, since she had Hiroshi.

The two walked through the maze of alleys in relative silence, each contemplating their own feelings, as well as what the other might be thinking at the moment.

Fuu was willing to admit that on some level she had maybe always found Mugen somewhat attractive...in the way that young girls are often drawn to dangerous men and the adventures they might promise. During her journey with her bodyguards, Jin had been safe, pretty much a guaranteed companion and man of his word. Mugen had been a risky gamble, selfish and wanting something always in return. But it was Mugen who more often came to her rescue. It was Jin who came the closest to leaving their little group. And though it had pained her to think of losing either of her companions, the idea of not having Mugen with her had lead to near panic and heartbreak. She had sobbed, clung to him, begged whatever higher powers might actually exist, be they Shinto, Buddhist, or Christian, that they would bring him back to her. And he’d returned. By some miracle, each time she thought he’d been lost he’d returned.

But to him, Fuu reasoned, she was a mere child. If he complimented her, he did it only to tease her. If anything, he saw her as an obligation, someone he was meant to protect. Shino had been right in saying that he was concerned for her, that perhaps he didn’t trust Hiroshi. But to hope that the vagrant cared beyond a brotherly sort of instinct was to dream too much. Fuu needed to come back to reality, to ground herself and accept that Hiroshi was the man she was meant to marry.

Mugen, for his part, was damning himself for ever admitting aloud how he felt. Sure, he’d uttered it to a dying man, a man he himself killed. And at the time, it had been a relief. But once the door to those emotions had been fully opened, there was no way to contain them again. He cared about Fuu, much more than he had ever been willing to admit. There was a reason he had always gone to save her, and it wasn’t because of some damn promise or stupid dumplings. He couldn’t stand the thought of her being in danger, of her purity and kindness being corrupted and broken. She, who accepted a criminal like him, who cried for him when he was lost, and tended him when he was injured...who cared about him, even if it was only as a friend...how could that not crack the shell of his heart? But how could he have ever admitted to any such feelings when he was exactly what she needed protecting from?

He was well aware of what he was. The exact opposite of her...darkness and cruelty and viciousness...corruption and brokenness already dwelt within him, ready to reach out and grasp anything he tried to hold too close. And how could he do that to the one person he had to care about him, and the one person he actually cared for more than anything, the one who gave him a reason to live when the crow men kept pulling him toward death?

He couldn’t, and so he’d buried any feelings behind harsh words and treatment. He’d hidden any attraction behind delusions that she couldn’t be beautiful if she wasn’t his ideal type, that she was only an annoying brat of a child. He convinced himself he didn’t want her, because he knew he couldn’t have her, he didn’t deserve her. But now…?

Now the bile rose in the back of his throat each time he thought of her with someone else, with Hiroshi. What had started as a seething and unidentifiable annoyance had become a harsh bitterness so strong he could taste it. Because now, now he was aware. He wanted her. More than anything, he wanted her. He couldn’t even think of the brothels and their big busted women when the idea of losing her was on his mind. All he wanted was to pull the waitress to him; to smash his lips into hers and taste the fruit he had long ago forbade himself. It was like an itch that he wanted to scratch, but it was just out of his reach.

So close, but out of reach; because she didn’t feel the same. She had her samurai. And even if she had felt the same, she would be better off with the Pretty Boy. What kind of life could a marked criminal provide for someone like her? No life she deserved, that was certain.

Steel eyes shifted to take her in from the peripheral as it occurred to him how strange it was that he was being so contemplative. After all, he usually just did whatever the hell he wanted. He was whipped, and he couldn’t even have the girl.

His sideways glance was met with large brown eyes that lingered curiously on his face, though as soon as they noticed him looking back, they widened and darted away, a blush lightly dusting the cheeks of the face that had suddenly shifted skyward. Fuu hadn’t meant to stare, she really hadn’t. But Mugen was being so quiet...not that he was talkative all the time, but right now he seemed to be brooding...or maybe more...thoughtful. Like there was something important on his mind, “What’s up?”

A brow lofted in response, “What’re ya talkin’ about?”

“You’ve got something on your mind, right?” The waitress looked at him canting her head and folding her hands behind her back as she offered a warm smile, “Want to talk about it?”

The vagrant blinked at her accurate assessment. It surprised him that he had somehow become so easy for her to read, and that he found that damn expression so cute all of a sudden. He folded his arms behind his head and turned away to keep himself from focusing on the curve of her lips, “I got nothin’ ta say.”

Fuu’s arms shifted to fold across her chest, eyes rolling in frustration, “Geeze, fine. Just sulk then! Why do I bother trying to be nice! Jackass...”

Mugen twitched a brow at the insult. Normally he wouldn’t let it get under his skin, but he suddenly didn’t want her thinking of him that way, “Oi, watch your mouth, Girly...a samurai’s wife should have manners and shit, right?”

“She should be honest too..” The waitress replied with innocent nonchalance, “And it would be a lie if I said you weren’t a complete and total...jackass.”

The ex-pirate scowled at the fact that his words had backfired. He wasn’t used to being anything other than what he usually was around the girl, so he’d tried to be helpful and supportive, but his usual mannerisms had gotten in the way, “I’m tryin’, alright! You wanna marry the guy, so I’m tryin’ ta be helpful!”

“Oh, and slinging insults is helpful you jerk?!” Fuu stopped walking and whirled on him, hands planted firmly on her hips, “I’ll have you know Hiroshi-kun likes me just fine the way I am, with the manners I have! And who are you to talk about manners anyway?!”

“Really?” Mugen arched a scarred brow, sneering at her. This girl had the most astounding ability to make him want her, and drive him insane at the same time! His eyes narrowed into a glare, “His mother don’t seem ta like ya much, does she? And manners...all the times I put my ass on the line did you even say th-”

“It was you, I knew it!” She crowed triumphantly, an accusing finger aimed at the vagrant’s face, “What the hell were you doing that night?! Why would you break into Hiroshi-kun’s kitchen?!”

Mugen froze a moment. He’d said too much this time, and they were now in territory he didn’t want to cover, “The fuck are you talkin’ about, Girly?”

“You know what I’m talking about!” The waitress shouted, glaring, nearly missing his apparent fright at the subject. What the heck was wrong with him? He just killed a bunch of yakuza goons, but he couldn’t answer a simple question? Her gaze grew curious, head canting to one side and volume lowering, “Just what were you doing there?”

“Nothin special…” The former bodyguard scratched the back of his head, glancing at the eaves of the closest building as his mind raced for an answer, “Guess I just wanted to find out more about that guy yer marryin...or somethin’...”

  
His answer was a bit lame, and not very convincing. It left Fuu more curious than before as she leaned in closer, as though she might somehow be able to sense the truth that way, “Or something? What do you even care…?”

“Think about it, stupid,” The vagrant finally grumbled, rolling his eyes as he came up with a passable excuse, “After what happened four years ago...suddenly some samurai’s kid gets all interested? Yer not exactly samurai wife material, Girly! I wanted ta make sure he was legit...not pullin’ some crap.”

“Really?” Leaning back, her brow lifted as she considered his response. It seemed possible, she supposed. After all, their journey so many years ago had put them in some tight spots legally, so a samurai family might try to lure her in as part of a trap for her comrades, or even to capture her herself.

“Yeah, really,” Turning away from his companion, the former pirate started walking again, muttering, “Guess he’s good...he took a couple hits for ya and all…”

Fuu watched him a moment before hurrying to catch up. He seemed a bit down, she noticed, but wasn’t sure why. Shouldn’t the fact that Hiroshi was trustworthy make her friend happy? Maybe he was displeased because the young samurai hadn’t actually succeeded in protecting her? Or maybe it was about their last argument. When she was at his side again, she smiled at him kindly, “I’m glad he meets your standards then. And...Mugen…”

Mugen lifted a brow, glancing at the girl who had suddenly started speaking softly in those last couple words, “”Yeah?”

“About the market...and...what I said…” Fuu sighed softly, running a hand through the loose hair of her bangs, “I didn’t mean it, you know. I was...I was angry. I don’t hate you...I couldn’t. And, I don’t want you to leave.”

There was a drawn out silence from the vagrant’s end, which caused his friend to look at him in concern. She found him gazing at the sky, hands folded behind his head, seemingly lost in thought. She was starting to worry that she might have said something wrong, something to intimate for the rogue to handle, when he at last replied, “Well...that’s good…”

It seemed like the hag at the tea house had been right about that too. Fuu had spoken out of anger, and it was a huge relief to know she hadn’t meant it. Still, the man worked to keep his expression from showing the weight that had been lifted. The girl, however, was grinning at the fact that their issues seemed to have been resolved.

With a smirk, Mugen tilted his face to look down at her, “Of course if yer tellin’ me ta stay, the ya know I’m gonna end up leavin’ right? I still don’t take orders.”

The waitress scowled at him, then turned away in a huff, though she wasn’t able to keep the smile from her face or her voice as she replied, “Fine! I just hope you don’t plan to stick around for the wedding!”

Even though he knew that had been a roundabout invitation, the hero seriously debated actually going with her words and not attending the wedding. It would hurt, he knew, even if he hated to admit it. He also knew he’d be there, he wouldn’t abandon her, never again. Even if it only meant being able to protect her.

 

* * *

 

  
At the tea shop, Jin’s eyes slipped open. After what seemed like a very long time, he could hear tired footsteps approaching. The doctor was coming over to the corner of the establishment where he and Shino were waiting, but before anything could be revealed, the stoic ronin lifted a hand, gesturing to the entrance. The boy’s family should be notified before anyone.

Understanding the gesture, the doctor nodded, and changed course, Jin and Shino following after so as to be able to provide support to the parents, whatever the outcome. As they stepped past the curtain of the entrance, the doctor was faced with a desparate mother and the father who tried to sooth the woman.

Drawing a deep breath the medical professional sighed and put on a faint smile, “Well, it took a lot of work and he lost a lot of blood, but the good news is that Hiroshi-san will survive…”

“Wonderful!” Shino let a sigh escape in relief as she turned a smile first to Jin, then to the boy’s parent’s and the doctor, not quite understanding why they didn’t mirror her joy at the words. Slowly it began to dawn on her though, confirmed when the boy’s mother found her voice.

In trembling tones the woman had raised a shaking hand to her bosom, fresh waves of tears springing to her eyes as she stared at the doctor who had treated her child, “Good news….that’s the good news? Then...then theres….bad news?”

With a slow nod, the doctor responded, “Yes…”


	12. Letting Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fuu and Mugen reconnect with the rest of the group as Hiroshi's fate is revealed. Hearts are about to be healed and broken, but in the end someone was always going to have to end up LETTING GO.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **  
> **  
> On Future Updates  
>   
> 
> Okay, I plan on setting up the last of the chapters for this story to publish over the next few days. We are almost done, and I leave yinz hanging way too often.
> 
> As for the next parts of the trilogy...I will set up what I have so far of Kakyaku to begin publishing. I'm having some serious writer's block on it, and warn you of that now. I'm taking a serious look at beginning work on Seichou and writing them simultaneously...it could end up a really long hiatus if I don't figure something out.
> 
> * * *
> 
>  **  
> **  
> Translation Notes  
>   
> 
> For this chapter a couple of translation notes might be necessary. The term sensei is used, but in this case doesn't mean teacher. Sensei can be any expert in their field (from my understanding). I use it to mean doctor, I'm pretty sure it's not what they used during the 1800s - 1850s which is when I'm approximating this series to have taken place...but I'm not 100% sure what I should use to be accurate in that case. 
> 
> I also used the term Ba-san, a shortened version of Oba-san, to refer to the tea house owner. It means Aunt or Auntie. Not to be confused with Baa-san or Obaa-san, which mean grandmother.

By the time Fuu and Mugen had reached the end of the alleys and emerged onto the main street, they had fallen into a comfortable silence. Fuu was happy to be on friendly terms with the vagrant once more, and the rogue was determined not to ruin the moment with a stupid comment. He wanted to enjoy the time he was able to spend with the girl before she was married.

Steely eyes drifted to the side to glance at the waitress as he tried to think of a safe topic for conversation, one that wouldn’t inevitably lead to a dumb argument or awkward backtracking. He saw her form freeze in place, her own eyes widened as she looked into the distance. Following her gaze, he saw the dark spot in the dirt that had been churned up in the time since the injured samurai had laid there.

He didn’t have a chance to wonder what it might mean before the girl beside him took off in that direction with a gasp, “Hiroshi-kun!”

The swordsman twitched in agitation, knowing that she wouldn’t reserve such desprate pleas for his own life any longer. With a miffed sigh, he ambled after her, “Oi, wait up, Girly!”

As Fuu drew closer to the place where she had been kidnapped earlier, her emotions swirled. Fear and worry filled her, but they didn’t carry the same sense of absolute panicked horror she had grown to associate with the concept of losing someone she cared for, not like the times Mugen had nearly died. She spotted Jin at the side of the road, and hope surged a moment, if he was there, then maybe that meant Hiroshi was alright...although with Jin’s usually blank expression it was just as likely her fiance was dead already, which filled her with dread as she powered toward the ronin, collapsing against him with the last of her energy.

The bespectacled man put a hand on each of Fuu’s shoulders, steading her as she fell against his chest. Doubtless she was concerned for her intended, but there was time enough to let her catch her breath. In the meantime, Mugen could catch up with the long languid strides he was taking.

“W-where...where is he?” The girl in the dusty pink kimono finally panted her question, an imploring look aimed up at her friend, “J-jin...Hiroshi...wh-where is he?”

Behind her, Mugen scowled off to the side, his hands folded behind his head as he lingered on the street. Once more, Fuu was clinging to Fish-face for comfort. It seemed all the vagrant was good for was saving her ass, and causing her tears. Not that she ever thanked him much for the former, and she probably resented him for the latter. Even if she did say she didn’t actually hate him.

“Safe,” Jin assured the worried young girl who rested her forehead on his chest in relief. From behind his glasses, his cool gaze focused on his fellow bodyguard, “It’s lucky Mugen thought to send for help…”

“He…” Fuu lifted her head, turning to look over her shoulder at the former pirate in mild surprise, “Mugen...y-you did?”

The scruffy male tried to brush it off as no big deal, “Yeah, well...figured people’d blame me and get all pissy if he died…”

He might have tried adding more to his feeble excuse, but he was caught off guard as a pair of arms wrapped around his middle. With a startled blink he looked down at Fuu, who now had her head buried against his chest as she embraced his lean form tightly, “Thank you, Mugen…”

“Don’t go all…mental..on m-...what?!” He started, but stopped as the girl he was trying comfort leaned back to narrow her eyes at him. He’d said something wrong again! Time to pass the blame, “Hey, Four-eyes said it first! Called you somekind’o’mental!”

Now Fuu’s expression morphed into confusion. She didn’t think Jin would call her crazy..would he? Though she stayed close to Mugen, she glanced back at the ronin, who sighed in exasperation before answering her unasked question, “I said sentimental...which appears to be beyond him.”

“Oh…” The waitress gave a small nod, blushing slightly at the fact that the men had, at some point, discussed her sentimentality. What did it mean that they had even had such a conversation? Clearing her throat in a slightly awkward manner, Fuu took a step back, giving herself enough room for a more appropriate display of gratitude as she dipped into a slight bow, “Thank you, Mugen, for getting Hiroshi help and rescuing me.”

Scratching the back of his head with one hand and looking off to the side, the former pirate placed his other hand on Fuu’s hair, mussing it as best as he could given her bun, “Oi, ya ain’t gotta be so formal either, Girly.”

“Alright then...I’ll...umm...just thanks, okay!” Fuu flushed again before turning back to Jin, “So, where did Hiroshi-kun end up? You do know, right?”

“Yes...I do.” Jin spoke hesitantly, and Fuu thought he seemed to be hesitant to tell her where her fiance was, though it could have merely been his typical lack of verbalization.

“Well where is he?” Though the waitress tried to maintain a sweet attitude she was quickly losing patience, which was a situation normally sparked by the vagrant.

“He’s…” The ronin knew he had to tell her. She would have to see the young samurai eventually, would have to learn his fate, and would take it best from Hiroshi himself. But at the same time, the protective older brother relationship he had with her made him want to shield her from the whole truth. Eventually, the petulant glare he was receiving from the pink clad woman caused him to sigh and give in, “The tea house.”

It wasn’t a long walk to the place where Hiroshi was recovering. When Fuu pushed aside the curtain to enter, Mugen automatically moved to follow but was stopped by Jin, “What the hell, man!”

“This is her time with him...let them be.” Jin spoke in a gentle and calm tone, but even the rogue could hear a hint of grief there.

“Yer keepin’ somethin from her, ain’t ya?” The wilder of the two narrowed his eyes at his comrade, “That ain’t fair, Four-eyes...you lettin’ her go in there not knowin’ what she’s walkin’ into…”

“Aren’t you suddenly caring…” Jin observed with an appraising look, effectively causing the angry former pirate to stop speaking, “What she must find out, is best heard from Hiroshi...it was not my place to tell her.”

With a scowl, the wild haired man dropped his gaze to the side, hands balled into quaking fists which clenched and reclenched as he suppressed his rage at the notion of whatever this unknown information was hurting Fuu. From inside, the shrill voice of Pretty Boy’s overbearing mother sounded, tearing into the waitress, and Mugen instantly moved forward, glaring when Jin cut him off by holding an arm out in front of him, “Wanna lose that arm?!”

“You are welcome to try removing it,” Jin offered calmly, watching the vagrant with a cool, careful gaze, “However, this is something Fuu must handle on her own...she and Hiroshi’s family, without our interference.”

“Fine…” Mugen growled, taking heavy breaths as he tried to calm his ever flaring temper, “Think you got all the answers, don’t ya?”

“I just happen to know more of the situation inside,” The ronin attempted to reassure him, “That is all.”

 

* * *

 

Within only moments of entering, Fuu spotted Shino. Before the younger woman could even inquire as to where Hiroshi was, the pregnant one had silently indicated a section of the tea house where the tables and chairs had been pushed aside to make room to treat the injured samurai.

Upon seeing the scene, his parents between her and the makeshift futon where he was reclining, Fuu moved quickly towards Hiroshi. He was hurt, and needed her by his side, it was her duty as his fiance to be there for him.

The sound of her wooden sandals hitting against the tea house’s floor caught the ear of a very angry woman, who whirled away from her son to face the one she had deemed the source of his problems, “You! You wretched thing! How dare you show your face?!”

Immediately the waitress came to a halt, large brown eyes widening even more. She was well aware that her future mother-in-law disliked her, but what had she done to earn this level of wrath? True, she had been there when Hiroshi was attacked and wounded, but the yakuza had been after revenge against the samurai family.

“Do you not understand what I am saying?” The older woman hissed, stepping toward her adversary, eyes narrowed into a vicious glare, “Since you have conned our son into proposing, it has been no-”

She was cut off as her spouse stepped up beside her, holding an arm out, and using it to make the outraged woman take a step back, “Enough of that! None of this is Fuu-chan’s fault. The blame is mine. I angered the yakuza, and they sought revenge.”

  
His wife’s brow twitched as she struggled to find some way to counter his logic. It had to be Fuu’s fault. It had to be! There was no way her own family could be blamed, “But…”

“Enough!” The normally calm man raised his tone, his gaze narrowed at the woman who immediately fell silent.

“Otou-san...Okaa-san...I want to speak with Fuu-chan...alone,” Hiroshi’s voice came from behind them, where the young waitress could now see him, resting on a blanket that had been laid out for him. He looked exhausted, like it took all his energy just to maintain consciousness. The pink clad woman felt as though a rock had settled into her stomach.

“Very well, Hiroshi,” His father agreed, sending him a small smile, before making certain that his wife followed him out. Before walking away, he paused and murmured softly to Fuu, “What I said still holds true. If you love him, you have my blessing to wed him.”

With that, the samurai and his wife were gone, Shino taking her cue to follow them. The doctor and the tea house owner were busy in the kitchen, mixing medicines for the young man’s injuries, and discussing things in general. This left the engaged couple very much alone in the room. The woman cast a final glance after those who were departing, worrying her lower lip a moment before making the final approach to where Hiroshi lay, and tucking her legs neatly beneath her as she sat at his side.

“Hiroshi-kun...I…” She was honestly uncertain of what to say. Her first reaction was to apologize, but Otou-san had been insistent that it wasn’t her fault, and she was pretty sure Hiroshi would react the same. It was stupid to ask how he was, because he was quite obviously injured. How did she start a conversation with him?

“Good...he saved you,” The awkwardness was broken by the man’s voice as he spoke with a feeble smile, “I had no reason to think otherwise, though…”

“Ah…” His reference to her rescue caught Fuu off guard, a warm smile spreading over her face as she thought of how her bodyguard never let her down...not when she truly needed saving, at least, “He saved you too, right? We both owe him thanks.”

“Hmm…” Laying his head back, the samurai’s son closed his eyes with a sigh, “I twice as much as you.”

“What do you mean?” There was something definitely off about that statement. Why should Hiroshi be any more grateful that her, when Mugen had saved them both? There was a strange bubbling sensation in her stomach, a feeling like something was going to happen. Something not good was going to cross her path.

“That man saved not only my life…” The young samurai paused with another sigh, opening his eyes to gaze on his beloved Fuu as he finished his thought, “But that of the person I cherish most.”

This only served to confuse the waitress more. Her brow scrunched as she attempted to comprehend, “The same is tr-”

“Except it isn’t. He saved you...and he saved the life of someone you care for.” The young man’s eyes were sad, distant and resigned, “But I’m not the person you cherish.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” The loose bun that rested against her neck was jostled by the violent shaking of Fuu’s head. She was struggling to hold of tears. Was this really happening? Had she finally found someone willing to love her as a woman, only for him to turn around and reject her in the end, “I love you! I’m going to marry you!”

“No...we aren’t getting married, Fuu…” Despite the finality of his statement, she could tell it was lined with sorrow.

“Wh-why not?” Self doubt swelled inside her, tying the woman’s stomach into knots. Mugen had been right all the long, then. No one would really want her, not ever. It must have finally occurred to Hiroshi just how wrong he was about her.

“Because...I love you..” The man started, trying to keep his resolve, “And I want you to be happy.”

“You want me to be happy, and you’re breaking the engagement?!” Even knowing how seriously he was wounded, the woman was having trouble keeping her confusion and anger in check, “What kind of sense does that make?!”

A sad smile was given as Hiroshi shook his head, “It makes sense because there’s someone else who loves you. And he’s the one you actually love...the one who’d make you happy…”

A soft snort of laughter, unlady like to some but adorable to Hiroshi, sounded from Fuu at his words, “What are you talking about?”

“He saved you...right?” The fit of giggles that came from the woman at his side abruptly stopped as she stared at him through wide eyes, shocked at his suggestion, “He always does, doesn’t he? That’s the way you always made it seem…”

“Well...that was because he had too!” The response came way too quickly from a suddenly flustered waitress, “He promised to be my bodyguard if I saved him and-”

“And of course he seems like just the type to have always kept his word…” The injured man shook his head, “Besides, his duty to you ended four years ago...so why save you this time?”

Fuu’s brows knit together as she attempted to wrap her mind around his logic, there was simply no way, absolutely no way in hell, that Mugen thought of her that way! Flashes of her latest rescue raced through her mind, “Even if he did, I-”

“You do, though,” She was interrupted before she could finish her protest, Hiroshi’s head leaned back, his eyes closed, “I saw you when he showed up the day I proposed...and in the end, he’s why you accepted...isn’t he?”

The woman’s mouth opened to argue, then shut as words failed her, repeating the process a few more times as she struggled to find a suitable reaction. Yes, Mugen was attractive, she had admitted it to herself. But it was in that way that any risk is attractive. Something that looks fun and wonderful, but that you know you shouldn’t go after lest you get hurt.

A slow nod was given by the young samurai, whose eyes remained closed, “I thought so. That’s why I can’t marry you….that and...you wouldn’t want to marry me now…”

“Hmm?” Blinking, the pink clad waitress was drawn from her thoughts by his words, confusion setting in.

Sighing, the man clarified, “I couldn’t provide as I should at this point...the strike to my back...it was just deep enough...the doctor isn’t sure if I will walk properly....”

“Oh, Hiroshi!” Fuu’s horror at the notion was genuine, a hand lifting to hover over her mouth as tears threatened her eyes, “I’m sorry...I’m so sorry!”

“What are you sorry for…?” The young man at last opened his eyes, turning a weary gaze to her.

The woman immediately continued to apologize, “If I hadn’t let them grab me-”

“I sent you running into that yakuza creep’s arms!” Hiroshi scolded, his voice surprisingly harsh, “It’s my own fault that you were captured, that I was distracted, that I was injured. I can’t marry you if I can’t protect you, Fuu! Mugen...he loves you, and he can protect you! And you love him, admit it or not!”

“Hiroshi...p-please...you need time to calm down and-” Fuu tried again to save the engagement, unable to believe the things the man on the blanket was telling her.

“I’m perfectly calm, Fuu-chan...I’ve had plenty of time to think this through…” The samurai son sighed softly, “You should go now...I don’t want to upset you any further...and...you seem to need the time to think.”

Tears stinging at her eyes, the woman was finding hard to breath as she forced herself to her feet. She couldn’t believe it. Mugen had screwed everything up! Hero one minute, and tearing her life to shreds the next! All because somehow Hiroshi had gotten the crazy notion that jackass loved her! Turning on her heel, Fuu raced for the exit.

 

* * *

 

  
Jin stood off to one side of the tea house entrance with Shino, speaking in quiet tones. Near him were Hiroshi’s parents, his mother sulking over having been spoken to harshly by her spouse earlier, and the samurai contemplating what might be happening inside. He meant what he’d said. If Fuu loved his son, then they should marry...he doubted she truly loved him though.

On the other side of the entrance, a lean figure slouched against the wall. He was standing, but leaning back at an awkward angle with the building supporting much of his weight. Mugen’s steely eyes were narrowed to the sky as he fought the instinct that screamed from every part of him that he should storm his way into the shop and interrupt the reunion between the couple. His gut twisted sourly as he thought of the two, his Fuu and that samurai brat getting all mushy with one another. Spouting sickening nonsense about how much they loved each other, how relieved they were to have one another safe. She was probably crying, clinging to Junior Samurai and blubbering about how she couldn’t stand the thought of losing him.

“Tch, whatever…” The former pirate murmured to himself, sighing gruffly and dropping his gaze to the ground. He was just going to have to get used to the nauseous feeling...there was no other choice. He was her protector...Hiro-whatever was her...he couldn’t bring himself to apply the word lover to another man where Fuu was concerned, but that was the situation.

Suddenly the sound of raised voices sounded from the tea house. In particular, he recognized her, that tone she used when she was particularly hurt or upset. No way could the rogue let that go unchecked. Mugen whirled to rush through the entrance, only to nearly collide with the girl he was hurrying to aid. He was ready to grab her shoulders and interrogate her as to what was wrong, but surprisingly the twenty year old actually turned away, spinning free of his grip and past him, stopping to glare heatedly at him.

“Jackass!” She shouted, not caring that her friends and Hiroshi’s parents were staring by now, “You absolute Jackass! This is all your fault! I can’t believe you! Why did you have to give him that stupid idea?! It’s...GAH!”

With that, she turned on her heel, running down the road, but not in the direction of the house she had been staying in recently. Mugen remained frozen, unsure of what had just happened, “The fuck?”

All he got was that, despite having had a fight with Pretty Boy, she was for some reason angry at him. She had the crazy notion that he’d given the young samurai some kind of idea that caused an argument? Instinctively, he started after the woman, intent on tearing into her, giving her a piece of his mind and finding out what the hell her problem was!

“Mugen!” Jin’s sharp voice caused him to pause, glaring over his shoulder at the ronin.

“What now?” He grumbled, hands clenched in agitation at his sides. Beyond the other bodyguard he could see a worried Shino, and Hiroshi’s parents: resigned father, relieved mother.

“Shino and I will go after her. Clearly you’ve done enough.” Cool gaze remained locked on storm hued eyes, daring the former pirate to object.

And did Mugen ever want to object! Why should he let Fuu talk to him that way when he had no clue what he’d even done?! No way! He narrowed his gaze at his companion, about to protest, but Shino interrupted, “Mugen-san, perhaps it would be best to let me speak with her first...as a woman, I might be able to get her to calm down and open up, then we can better understand what’s wrong.”

“Tch, fine…” For the sake of actually getting answers, the wild man gave in, folding his arms and pouting stubbornly, “Guess I’m askin’ what Pretty Boy did ta get her all upset…”

As he started for the tea house entrance, Hiroshi’s mother grew wide eyed with concern for her son. Jin made eye contact with the samurai at her side, tilting his head to the door, and then nodding. If they were at all worried, the father should go in, but keep a distance. Close enough to intervene if needed, but far enough to give the sense of privacy desired. The silent communication was met with a nod, and a quiet touch to the woman’s shoulder, reassuring her as the older male waited a moment then entered after Mugen, lingering near the door.

Well aware that the elder samurai was observing from the entry, Mugen pushed aside any resentment at the notion and remained focused on the task at hand. Junior Samurai had said something to make Fuu mad, but she was mad at HIM, not the younger punk! He sure as hell wasn’t letting it slide without finding out why. It took a couple moments to figure out where the guy was, the cleared out corner of the tea house, now occupied by the doctor and owner as well as the injured party. The criminal skulked his way over.

“Hiroshi-san, you need to rest!” He could hear the doctor, at least he was pretty sure the guy was a doctor, lecturing, “If you strain too much, it will make things worse.”

“Sensei, I’m fine.” The young samurai sighed, eyes closed as he lay there, “At the moment, it’s my heart that hurts...not my physical injuries.”

“What was all that shouting about?” This time it was the hag that spoke, Mugen noticed.

“I did what had to be done, that is all.” A sad smile spread across the young man’s lips as he turned to look at the woman, “And I believe you know why as well as I do.”

A sage nod was given from the owner of the establishment as Hiroshi’s gaze shifted beyond her and caught hold of the approaching ex-pirate, “Ah, Mugen, I was hoping I’d see you. Sensei, Ba-san, could you give us a moment?”

A wary look was cast at the rogue by the doctor, but the woman reassured him that Mugen was trustworthy, if rude. At that, the two departed, leaving the young men almost alone.

“Who arrived with you? I heard two enter, but I’m unable to sit up to see…” The injured samurai questioned his visitor.

“Your ol’ man. Guess he don’t trust me.” Mugen shot a glance back toward the entrance, where the elder man was still keeping a close eye on them.

“Ah, I see.” A slow nod was given before the youngest male called out, “Otou-san, you can go...he won’t hurt me, it’s fine.”

More trusting than his wife, and certain that any friend of Fuu’s was at least some kind of a decent person, the older man turned and walked back out, leaving Mugen and Hiroshi watching one another in silence for a long moment.Steel grey eyes were narrowed angrily upon the injured man, who returned the gaze with soft dark browns that held a hint of sorrow.

“One of us gotta talk,” The former pirate grunted at last, “If you’re too much of a pansy to say whatcha gotta, then guess I go first. What’d ya say to her?”

“I broke our engagement…” The response was soft and full of sadness, yet still held a tone of finality.

“The hell did you do that for?!” Brow twitching in agitation Mugen fought the urge to strangle the man. A sword would kill him way too quickly! Didn’t the idiot get that he’d broken Fuu’s heart by not marrying her? And that girl called HIM a jerk! Suddenly the second part of his reason for interrogating the samurai son came back to mind, “And why the fuck does she think it’s my fault?!”

“Hmmm…” Even in the face of the other’s outright hostile attitude, Hiroshi tried to remain calm. He reminded himself that Fuu trusted this man, loved him even though she wouldn’t admit it. Mugen, to the best of his knowledge, had never physically harmed her, she would be safe with him, “I love her...still, I cannot marry her when her heart belongs to another…”

“You sayin’ she don’t love you?” The former bodyguard arched a brow at this strange line of reasoning, “That’s a load of bull. She wanted ta marry you!”

“She agreed to marry me…” To the injured man the change in wording made all the difference, “But I suspect that was in hopes of getting the man she loved to act on any feeling he might secretly hold for her. A last ditch effort to force his hand. When he didn’t take the bait...well, given that she asked me more than once why I wanted to marry her at all, I suppose I was someone she saw as her own last chance. She cares for me, but she doesn’t love me.”

“She ain’t some bimbo who’d pull that shit...she ain’t lyin’ about wantin’ ta marry ya! Geeze, and she thinks I’m dumb!” Rolling his eyes, and thinking he’d made things pretty clear, Mugen turned to leave, “I’ll find her, get her ta come back so you two can get your shit back together…”

“I’m not wrong about this…” When the vagrant turned to glance over his shoulder in frustration, he found Hiroshi’s head turned away, gazing sadly at the wall, “I knew asking her that I took a risk...she clearly cared for you the way she spoke of you...but you weren’t there, so it was a risk worth taking…”

“Wait...I’m this other guy you were blabbing about?!” Steel eyes widened as he finally grasped what they had been talking about the whole time.

“Of course…” The young samurai wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at how dense this guy was, “You showed up at entirely the wrong moment. I was sure I’d be rejected when you walked in on the proposal, but your stubbornness actually drove her into my arms. At first, I was thrilled, thinking perhaps she honestly chose me...then you snuck into the kitchen, and I figured out how you felt.”

“How...how I felt? The hell you talking about, Pretty Boy?!” Mugen stammered, trying to fight the warmth that was threatening to spread up his neck as he panicked. Someone had noticed his feelings for her...and of all people, it was her idiot fiance!

“Yes, how you felt. Loving her was your motivation for breaking in and not taking anything...checking out the competition...except I’m no competition.” Hiroshi found it slightly amusing that even now Mugen was refusing to admit his feelings, but that amusement faded as he continued speaking, “After all, why marry me if the one she loved returned her feelings? So, I did my best to keep you apart. To keep her from figuring things out. I was sure I was better for her in the long run…”

“Cuz ya are…” The wild man muttered, looking away, “Look, it ain’t too late ta fix this mess, right?”

“I’m not,” Hiroshi’s gentle reply to the mutter startled the former pirate, who had hoped the other man wouldn’t hear. Still, there was no chance for any interruption as the young samurai continued, “And I am fixing it...I’m giving her her chance at happiness. Don’t screw this up, Mugen. If you don’t play your cards right, she’ll just make the same mistake she almost made with me again…”

For several moments the ex-bodyguard glared at his feet. Did Fuu really agree to marry Junior Samurai to try to make him jealous? Well...it had worked, but no way was that really what was going on. Still...this gave him a chance. He could at least try to say something...he should try to say something. Its not like he was afraid or anything. The worst she could do was reject him and tell him to get lost. Why should he be scared? Besides, nothing scared Mugen!

“I’ll go talk to her...still ain’t what yer thinkin’ though.” The rogue replied at last, not looking at the other man. His response was intended to leave it ambiguous, not hinting at which part of the theory was off. Not waiting for a response, the vagrant turned and rushed out of the tea house, deciding that he might as well risk it all if the end result would mean Fuu’s happiness either way. He didn’t notice the small, sad but satisfied smile on Hiroshi’s lips; didn’t stop to register Jin still standing near the establishment, or the young samurai’s parents rushing in as soon as he’d gone to make certain death wasn’t left in his wake. He was far too busy racing in the direction Fuu had taken when she’d run off.

 

* * *

 

Fuu had made it as far as her apartment and was leaning against the outer wall of the moderate abode, she couldn’t afford anything fancy even if four years steady work allowed for some better accommodations than she’d once enjoyed, trying to catch her breath. This whole scenario was getting more and more crazy, swirling into a kaleidoscope haze in her mind as she tried to sort it out. She loved Mugen. She loved both her bodyguards, of course. Jin was like her older brother, and Mugen was...what? She didn’t regard him with brotherly affection, that was clear. She was attracted to him, she could admit that. He was like a flame, beautiful but untouchable. So despite her attraction, she couldn’t really be in love, right?

Despite the aching hole that tore at her insides every time she thought he might die, or walk out of her life completely, she wasn’t in love. She loved him, but she wasn’t IN love, so what was their relationship? Perhaps some twisted best friend situation? That didn’t fit either, though.

With a groan the waitress slid to the ground, elbows on knees, face buried in hands, tears threatening her eyes. This whole thing was a mess! She was in love with Hiroshi! He was the one who looked at her and saw someone worth while! He was the one who took the time to point out her good qualities, who took an interest in her! But that was him...that meant he loved her, not the other way around.

“You...you run quite fast, Fuu-chan…” A shaky voice tore her from her thoughts as the confused girl looked up to see Shino smiling down at her, “I thought I might not catch you.”

“O-oh…” Fuu’s gaze dropped sideways, “I didn’t mean for anyone to chase me...especially not you. In your condition of all things...I’m so-”

Her apology was cut off by a shake of the older woman’s head as she spoke, carefully lowering herself to sit at her friend’s side, “Didn’t mean for anyone to chase you, or were hoping for someone else?”

“Don’t be silly,” The answer came way too quickly, accompanied by a soft blush, “Hiroshi-kun coul-”

“Who said I meant Hiroshi-san?” Shino’s smile turned slightly mischievous and knowing. Things had come to a point where she couldn’t let Jin’s rules hold her back, something told her the topic of feelings between the former pirate and the waitress had already been broached anyway, and by Hiroshi himself of all people!

“What?” When the woman who served as an elder sister to her simply cast her a look that said the answer was obvious, Fuu let out a derisive snort, “You mean Mugen? He’s not going to come running after me. And I don’t care if he does anyway!”

“I see…” The pregnant woman didn’t try to hide the fact that she didn’t believe her, “Why are you so upset, then?”

“Why else? That Jackass ruined everything! Hiroshi thinks Mugen loves me, and that I love him too...who knows where he got that stupid idea. The engagement’s off because of it though…” Face creased in a frown, the pink clad woman revealed the conversation that had upset her.

“Is it stupid?” Shino challenged, her tone serious but gentle, “Do you really love Hiroshi-san enough to marry him? Or is there someone else you care for more?”

“I...what do you mean?!” Fuu tried to sound offended, but ended up sounding unsure, sighing and closing her eyes, “What is love, anyway?”

“I think you know the answer to those questions,” Her friend responded, placing a hand on the other’s shoulder, “Even if you don’t recognize the feelings that are giving you the answers.”

The only reply the younger woman could manage at that was a confused look. Love was the feeling, wasn’t it? Sure, people talked about warm fuzzy feelings that accompanied it, but she wasn’t sure what to make of those, since she got such feelings not only around Hiroshi or Mugen, but pretty much anytime she was paid a rare compliment.

“There are lots of symptoms, Fuu-chan. I guess you aren’t familiar…” With a smile Shino continued, “Make a tally, you don’t have to tell me, but think about who stirs these feelings. Rushing excitement when you see him, quickening of your pulse, butterflies in your stomach. There’s a sort of desperation you feel at the thought that perhaps he doesn’t care. An ache if you see him with someone else…”

As the waitress listened, she began making a checklist in her mind, marking the name of the man that most often caused such feelings in her. She was usually excited to see Mugen, if she wasn’t mad at him; while she’d always been pleased to see Hiroshi whenever their paths crossed, it wasn’t an overwhelming excitement that made her want to rush forward and embrace him. That one went to Mugen. Her heart sped at any attempt to compliment her, since she wasn’t very used to hearing such things, and the young samurai complimented her often; her ex-bodyguard almost always hurled insults her way, but still got her pulse racing on a regular basis between attraction to him and wanting to scream at him. Again, that was a victory for Mugen, because he pretty much always had her heart thumping in her chest in one way or another. Butterflies...until she’d been told that he loved her, had she ever felt those for Hiroshi? With Mugen, she could feel them fluttering around her gut each time he showed up to save her or when she saw him at the times she least expected. That was three for three so far...Maybe she actually was in love. Desperation...aching...those were all too familiar with the former pirate and his brothel habit.

She was about to speak to Shino, to seek advice on what she should do, but she never got the chance. Just then the sound of heavy breathing sounded from the end of the street, and Fuu’s eyes widened in recognition as she saw the man she had been thinking of leaning on the corner, obviously having run the whole way.

“Oi! You really ARE hard to find, Damn Woman!” He scowled as he managed to catch his breath enough to speak.

“M-mugen?” Fuu wasn’t sure what she was going to do now that she had actually realized she really was in love, and he was actually here! What was she supposed to say?

“Yeah, yeah, that’s me,” The ex-pirate pushed forward, having to speak his mind before he lost his nerve, “Listen...I, uh...I talked to Hirowhatever…”

“You did?!” If she had ever been embarrassed in her life, none of those moments even came close to comparing to this one. The waitress’ face was crimson, she was pretty sure every inch of her skin matched that shade actually, at the realization that her former fiance had probably told the rogue pretty much the same things he had told her.

“Well...I think maybe I should go~” Shino murmured, though she doubted the pair heard her even as she struggled to her feet and made her way back toward the tea house.

“Yeah, I did!” Geeze, he wished he could talk without being freaking interrupted! He needed to say this before he couldn’t do it anymore, “Now shut up, cuz I need ta talk!”

Fuu’s eyes widened at his demand, and normally she would have snapped back at him, started an argument. This time she let it go, however. It was bad enough that he had been told how she felt, and by Hiroshi of all people! Now, though, she was about to be humiliated by him telling her how stupid she was for even thinking such a thing, and then the man would laugh in her face. She dropped her gaze aside and prepared for the motherload of embarrassment.

“Look…” Mugen’s steel eyes darted wildly about the surrounding area, as though searching desperately for some clue on how to actually talk about all this feelings crap, “You know I ain’t the kind to talk about girly shit like emotions or whatever. But...maybe Pretty Boy ain’t totally wrong.”

At the hesitancy and sudden drop in volume on that last phrase, the waitress dared to glance up at him through her lashes, wondering when the teasing was going to start. What she saw instead surprised her. There he stood, gaze focused on the eves of an adjacent building as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, “Mugen…?”

“You heard me, Fuu!” His words were a soft growl of embarrassed frustration, but the use of her name wasn’t lost on the pink clad woman, “He probably got you all wrong, but he ain’t totally off, alright?!”

“He got me wrong?” Now she was full on staring at the vagrant, large brown eyes wide with surprise as she processed his words. So...according to what was being said, that meant the former pirate actually…

“He did, right?” A hint of hope crept into the man’s voice as he stole a brief glance at her. Or that was the intent, but before he could shift his sights away again, there were slender arms holding him surprisingly tightly, a head pressed close to his chest which caused him to look down at her with a blink, “F-?”

He couldn’t finish speaking her name, not that she didn’t want to hear him say it again, but she couldn’t fight the desire, the need, to press her lips against his. It was a response to his question, and a silent plea for him to let her know she hadn’t misunderstood!

Those soft, warm lips caught him off guard, and he hesitated to respond, wondering if he’d slipped into a waking fantasy, or been exposed to some weird drug without knowing it. It was simply too good to be true! Fuu was just beginning to think she’d made a huge mistake when he finally closed his eyes and moved his mouth against hers. Wrapping strong arms around her, Mugen pulled her close, doing what he was best at and letting his actions do the speaking for him.

Eventually they had to pause for air, though the former bodyguard hated the idea of pulling his lips from hers. Breathing hard he grinned wolfishly and rested his forehead on hers. The waitress was a nice shade of pink that complimented her kimono, gazing at him shyly through her eyelashes as the reality of what was happening washed over her.

Squeezing her hips as he held her close, Mugen let out a slight chuckle, “Guess calling you Girly ain’t really right...sure as hell seem more like a woman to me.”

At that, the most ridiculous giggle escaped from Fuu’s lips, she doubted she’d ever made a more silly sound! Horrified at the embarrassing noise, her arms released their grip on the man that held her, hands flying to her mouth as she blushed even brighter.

“Hmm?” Arching a brow, the grin on his face turned mischievous as he kissed her forehead, “What’s this? Too shy ta talk suddenly? Might be a nice change…”

That got a reaction as the woman blushed still more and smacked his chest in protest, “Jerk! If this was just a stupid trick or something, I’ll never forgive you! You are such a jacka-”

His lips sealed over hers to silence the tirade, though he forced himself to keep it relatively brief before murmuring against her lips, “Calm down, Fuu. First off, if I wanted ta kiss ya just ta shut ya up, I’d of done it a lot sooner.”

With his face still so close to hers, the pink clad woman couldn’t read his expression. His words caused her stomach to flutter, her name on his lips was musical, hypnotic. His warm breath tickled her skin, making her yearn for more of his kisses. The throaty, needy quality of her voice surprised even her as she whispered in reply, “Mugen…”

“Heh,” He granted the clear plea by pressing another chaste kiss to her lips, though he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep things so innocent for long if she kept using that tone with his name, “Second off, you’re the one that kissed me first, ain’t ya? Way I see it, you got no right ta get shy on me.”

Another, longer kiss cut her off before she even had a chance to reply. This time he took his time, savoring the taste of lips as his hands traced the curve of her hips. When he finally pulled away, it was only because he knew he had to prevent himself from getting too worked up. His head dipped, brow resting on her shoulder, “And I ain’t exactly walking away now, am I? Guess I must actually want this.”

Lifting her hand to run through Mugen’s unruly hair, Fuu finally found the ability to speak somewhat coherently, her voice filled with a sort of hazy affection, a bright grin spread over her features, “You better mean that, you jerk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a question. Okay, first, some background:
> 
> In a comment it was suggested I not use Japanese words (as it can be assumed they are speaking Japanese), while continuing to use honorifics (-Chan, -San, -kun, etc.) because they help clarify how characters relate to one another. 
> 
> For instance, Hiroshi first asked Fuu to call him Hiroshi-kun, rather than the more formal -San she had once used. Then he became jealous that there was no honorific attached to Jin or Mugen's names, as that shows great familiarity.
> 
> Now, the question. I won't change any already written chapters, I will take your answers into consideration for future writing in this trilogy.
> 
>  
> 
> [Do you, as readers of my SamCham Fanfic Trilogy, like the inclusion of occasional Japanese words? Let me know here.](http://www.poll-maker.com)


	13. Success

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Fuu and Mugen have realized their feelings and confessed, they begin to stumble through the relationship neither expected to happen. As it turns out, they both had different ideas of what sacrifices might make it work...And compromises arise in unexpected ways as we draw very near the conclusion of What's Best for Fuu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the last regular chapter. I have the epilogue of this story left to post, then I'll start posting what I have of Kakyaku.

While Mugen would have loved to continue kissing and more, and Fuu most likely would have let him get away with it, they both knew that their friends were quite likely worried about them. Jin at least would be, seeing as he had little to no idea what had happened since the Fuu had met with Hiroshi. Perhaps the former pirate could have ignored this fact, but the woman he held in his arms would fret over the idea of worrying her comrades, a fact he was well aware of. Plus, he’d only finally managed to get her in his arms. If he rushed things, he might frighten her off, not to mention he was still wary of corrupting her.

Thus, it was to Fuu’s surprise that, after delivering a final kiss to the curve of her neck, the vagrant lifted his mangy head from its resting place on her shoulder with a lopsided grin down at her, “Guess the others are wondering what’s keeping us, huh? Probably oughta get ya back before they think I did somethin’ outta line...”

The waitress flushed at the implications of that last statement. She wanted to let him know that it wouldn’t be out of line, at least not as far as she was concerned...but this was probably not the best time to tempt him. After all, they really should get back to their friends. She had to thank Shino for helping her sort out her own feelings...and Hiroshi was owed an apology as well as gratitude for the things that had happened between them. Then, she really should move on from Edo. After all, if she wished to be with Mugen, she knew well he wasn’t the settling down sort.

“We should get back, yes,” She offered a soft, shy smile, her right hand sliding from his shoulder, tracing his bicep and down his arm to twine their fingers together, “We need to explain, at least. Let them know that we’re...um...we’re…”

A shiver ran down the rough looking man’s spine as her slim hands ran over his tanned arms, the muscles bunching then relaxing as the feather light touch passed over them. His gaze locked onto hers, finding that the large brown eyes looking back at him held a hint of timid uncertainty. Her words landed softly on his ears, though he barely registered the beginning of what she was saying, his breath catching slightly as his sight dropped to their interlaced fingers, a smirk tugging his lips when he gripped her hand in return. Lifting steel eyes, which for once held a sort of calm pride rather than reckless rage, he heard her stumbling for a word to describe the turn in their relationship.

Shaggy hair shifted as he tilted his head, one brow arched. They were together. They were a couple, romantically linked, whatever. There was probably some actual sappy term for it, but even if he’d known it, Mugen wasn’t the sort to use it. Instead he gave a roguish grin, lifting his free hand to scratch at his stubble, “Well...I don’t know ‘bout ‘we’...but you...yer my woman.”

It was a matter of fact statement, no room left for argument. The first reaction Fuu had was to blush a deep crimson, to be claimed so blatantly by the man she loved. Then, slowly, irritation began to set in. She was a person, after all. She wasn’t property! Those wide eyes of hers narrowed slightly, her grip on his hand tightening, “Excuse me? Your woman? YOUR woman? What does that mean? I’m not a possession, Mugen!”

The ex-pirate’s eyes widened slightly at the reaction. That blush was as cute as any he had ever caused by action or word, but it lasted so briefly. He was on the verge of laughing at the coloring on her cheeks when she began scolding him for his wording. Her grasp on his hand was surprisingly tight, but it wasn’t really painful. He let out a soft chuckle, earning a harsher glare, that in turn had him laughing louder, “What? You don’t wanna be my woman? You sure kissed me like you did…”

“I’m not anyone’s woman!” The female in question snapped at him in return, huffing indignantly, “But I want to be THE woman! You know, THE woman YOU LOVE!”

At the use of the word for the emotion he was feeling, the vagrant paled. Was that what she wanted to hear him say? Sure, it was true, but he couldn’t just say something so sappy! He wrinkled his nose, turning his head to avoid her gaze, “Ain’t it the same thing?”

“No, it’s not,” Fuu reasoned with a sigh, closing her eyes, dropping her face to the side, “I don’t want to be property...I want to be cared for...I love you Mugen...please...you don’t have to say it for anyone else to hear...but...I want to know...I want to know you care…”

A sideways glance was cast in her direction as he felt her hand trying to pull away from his. She wasn’t looking at him anymore, and she looked like he’d hurt her. Fuck, he felt like he’d been punched seeing that expression! It was the rogue’s turn to tighten his grip on her hand, causing her to flick her gaze toward him through her lashes, “Stupid...why do I gotta say it at all?”

There was no response. His features shocked the woman as she looked at him, his tan, weathered skin seemed to take on a rosy hue as he shifted awkwardly. She knew she was being unfair. But there really was a difference. He could claim her as his, and he could leave. If he truly loved her, then he would be less likely to abandon her. She really needed to hear him say it.

“Gah! Really, Fuu?” The hand not holding hers, rubbed at the former pirate’s face as he sighed in exasperation, “Look, you say it ain’t the same, but the way I see it, I fight for what’s mine. You ain’t property, I get that. But yer mine, and I’m yours...I ain’t gonna let you go, that’s what I’m sayin’. So, ya….I guess…”

Large brown eyes lifted to gaze at him in earnest, his last words having come out in a murmur she hadn’t really caught. She knew what he had said, though. In surprised happiness she buried her head against his chest, whispering, “Mugen…”

“Yeah...well...I ain’t gonna start spoutin’ it all over or anythin’, you got that?!” Mugen snapped, though his stubborn pout clearly held an underlying embarrassment. He was met with a giggle and a nod from Fuu. Turning suddenly, he pulled her along by their linked hands, “Let’s get goin’, then….”

Fuu’s smile was wide as she followed, able to keep up with his long strides easily in her giddy pace.

 

* * *

 

Jin and Shino were waiting outside the tea house, Hiroshi’s parents having gone in to speak with their son immediately after Mugen’s departure. Well...Jin was attempting to wait in his typical stoic patience, though his brow twitched in mild agitation as his wife gushed about the friends she had left to reconcile. The ronin loved his wife, really and truly he did. She brought out things in him that no other could, emotions and a level of self expression previously unknown. Still, there were times when he wished for the calm meditative atmospheres that had grown more seldom available since their marriage.

“Oh, Jin dear, it was wonderful!” The former brothel girl gushed repeatedly, “Seeing her realize what she was actually feeling, and then Mugen showed up at the perfect moment! You were entirely right about letting the river carve its own course!”

With a sigh, the man turned to look at his wife. He was getting rather tired of hearing her repeat the same thing over again, but he was trying to be patient. He knew Shino had been waiting for this moment. When his dark eyes landed on her, his irritation lessened instantly, the glow on her features was radiant in her joy. The only time he’d seen her more brilliant was the day she learned she was with child, that moment she had been so moved by joy she’d wept. Thus, rather than remind her how frequently she had commented on their friends’ impending confessions, he found himself smiling warmly, “That’s good.”

“Isn’t it?” The woman rested her head against his shoulder, smiling contentedly, seemingly satisfied enough to end her retelling of the situation now that Jin had given in and agreed with her.

For a few moments they remained that way in peaceful silence until Shino spied two figures in the distance, letting out a soft sound of excitement, nudging her husband in the side, “Jin dear, look! Here they come!”

Approaching at a steady but leisurely pace they could see the pair, fingers woven together. Mugen had a smug grin on his face, the sort he tended to wear after emerging victorious in a battle where his foe thought he would surely lose. Fuu was blushing mildly, slightly more aware of the looks they were getting from those who were still out now that the sun was down, but she couldn’t keep the pure joy from spreading in a smile over her lips. She was aware that there would be horrid things said, things about both her and Hiroshi, regarding this development. At the moment, though, such thoughts were relegated to the back of her mind.

Jin’s eyes swept over the scene, taking in the details that marked the obvious change in status of their relationship. Things had indeed gone well, for which he was glad. A sideways glance toward his wife revealed what he knew already, she was thrilled. Her excited grin rivaled Fuu’s own, which earned a slightly amused curve of the ronin’s own lips.

“Fuu-chan!” Shino exclaimed giddily, doing her best pregnant waddle-run towards the younger woman. At this, the girl in question blushed brighter, and Mugen flinched at the sheer shrillness of the excitement in her tone.

The former brothel girl’s spouse followed in a more leisurely pace behind her, raising an eyebrow at the vagrant. In response, the wilder of the men smirked more broadly and released his grip on Fuu’s hand, choosing instead to snake his arm around her waist, a more claiming gesture which earned a blink and glance from the pink clad waitress as she was pulled closer.

“What?” Mugen smirked down at her, “If yer gonna be my woman, I’m making sure everyone knows it!”

Fuu was tempted to relodge her protest over being referred to as property, but she knew he meant it as a term of affection, a way of saying he cared. Besides, she couldn’t have said anything before Shino let out a delighted squeal and wrapped her in an embrace anyway.

“Congratulations…” The ronin murmured, trying to maintain a neutral expression, though a smile tugged at his lips, “You will take care of her, I trust.”

“Ain’t no one else gonna be able to,” the former pirate responded, picking the wax out of his ear nonchalantly.

“Hn...I suppose you’re right...for once,” Jin conceded, “I have a family of my own, after all…”

For the second time Mugen’s tan flesh paled slightly hearing the way the taunt was phrased. Normally, he would be offended at the thought that Jin even considered himself close to being able to protect Fuu! After all, when had Four-Eyes ever saved her? But any trace of irritation was lost amidst the lurch that hit his stomach at that phrasing. A family of his own. That meant that there was more than just a coupling expected between the pirate and waitress. They were supposed to be a family!

On some level, Mugen supposed, he already knew this. Fuu wasn’t the sort to live in the kind of set up he’d been fooling himself into thinking of. They weren’t gonna just wander around making ends meet and screwing each other when the mood struck. That was the corruption he’d been so worried about inflicting upon her...his lustful fantasies that weren’t fit for such a pure thing.

“Hnn…” Blinking his eyes the rogue became aware that Jin was regarding him with a raised brow, that signature hum of contemplation having pulled the pirate from his thoughts, “Then you are still conscious…”

“The fuck are you-” At that moment the vagrant became distinctly cognisant of the fact that the arm he’d had wrapped around Fuu’s waist now hung limply at his side, “Oi! Where the hell’d she go!”

Rather than giving the ronin a chance to reply, Shino spoke with a slight grin, “She went to speak with Hiroshi-san. I suppose Fuu-chan-”

She had no chance to finish her sentence before Mugen disappeared into the tea house as well, not wanting to risk his freshly forged relationship on the chance that pretty boy would change his mind.

“You’re having far too much fun with this…” Jin commented with a sigh, rubbing long fingers against his temples as he regarded his wife in a sidelong glance.

“Perhaps...but it is fun, and I have so little of it most of the time!” Shino shrugged with a playful smile, leaning in to peck her spouse on the cheek, “Not that we don’t have fun of our own…”

At that, the pale man went near crimson, his brow twitching as he muttered a quick retort, “Hnn...I don’t know what you mean…”

“Oh...I guess you don’t...what on earth could you be thinking!” She let out a teasing laugh that made him blush further, if that was possible.

For once the man was quite grateful when Hiroshi’s overbearing mother made an appearance being ushered out the door, her husband attempting to calm her worries about the trickster rogue that had wormed his way into their lives. At least the company would be more than likely enough to keep Shino from bringing any more blood to his cheeks.

 

* * *

 

When he entered the tea house, Mugen found Fuu already kneeling at Hiroshi’s side, a sight that made the vagrant’s stomach lurch for a moment. As he set a leisurely pace towards them, he could see Junior Samurai’s parents a short ways off, the father trying to calm the frazzled mother, who was in a tizzy over the breaking of the engagement this time. A smirk slowly crept across the pirate’s tanned features as he was reassured of his victory.

When the antagonistic woman spotted the swordsman, her face shifted into an expression of absolute detestation. Her lips parted, about to unleash a torrent of insults and accusations, but fortunately for her; her husband stepped in. His strong hand closed around hers, a smile on his face as he intervened, speaking before she could, “I believe Hiroshi needs to speak with his friends...we should give them a moment’s privacy…”

As he spoke he led her to the exit, nodding at Mugen as their paths crossed. The departure was made hastily, leaving his wife no time to make her opinion known. Casting a glance over his shoulder at the door, the vagrant shrugged before moving on, coming to a stop once he was standing behind his girl.

“Oi, Pretty Boy…” He greeted with a slight nod, offering a cocky grin as well before suddenly flinching and gripping his knee, “The fuck’s wrong with you, Fuu?!”

Withdrawing her elbow from where it had made contact with Mugen’s knee, the waitress settled her hands in a folded position on her lap, resisting the urge to rub away the pain in the crook of her arm. She could have picked a better punishment in hindsight, “That was for being a jerk! His name’s Hiroshi! And if it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t be together now, y’know!”

As the woman let out a sharp huff and turned her chin up indignantly, the rogue groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face in agitation. He really hated when she had a point. With a low grumble he conceded, “Fine, whatever...listen up, Hio-dude...I guess I kinda owe ya one. So, if it ends up ya really ain’t able ta walk again...there’s this chair on wheels thing-a-jig I saw once….maybe you can find one...I dunno…”

Hiroshi had been silent during Fuu and Mugen’s exchange, rather amused by the fact that they were officially fighting like a couple, and yet heartbroken that Fuu wasn’t his any longer. It was a strange mix of feelings, topped with a warmth inside when Fuu stood up for him. His thoughts were interrupted when the pirate turned the conversation directly to him. Dark brown eyes blinked up at the lanky man as the wrong name was used, most likely deliberately by now, and some effort at a begrudging thanks made. It was more than he expected, and earned a small smile.

What went beyond even that was when the rogue began describing the wheelchairs that had begun to appear for use among the crippled. Such devices had originated in the west, and were still fairly rare in Japan, but the younger man was aware of their existence. The fact that his one time romantic rival thought to mention their existence was truly remarkable, and clearly meant as a form of repayment. A slow nod was given, smile growing bright and broad, “Thank you, Mugen. I will remember that.”

“Tch, whatever,” The vagrant shrugged with a sniff; Fuu watching the closest thing she had yet to see to Mugen thanking another man in disbelief. Sure, the rough man was trying to brush it off as no big deal, but she could tell that he must be very grateful to actually voice it. If not, it wouldn’t matter how much she insisted Hiroshi deserved their thanks, the pirate’s stubborn streak would win out.

“Yes, thank you Hiroshi-kun. I owe you so much...both of us do,” The waitress murmured with a soft smile, closing her eyes as she took a moment to appreciate the significance of what was happening. After a few seconds she slowly got to her feet leaning slightly against her hard won lover’s side, “Even if Mugen doesn’t actually want to admit it.”

“Oi! I said I owed him one, didn’t I?!” Mugen bristled in response, though it didn’t carry as much venom as it often did.

“Yes, yes,” Fuu waved off his protests, placing a kiss on his cheek in an attempt to placate him, “But I think we owe him more than telling him about a chair on wheels…”

“Grrrr…” The pirate’s brow twitched in agitation as she seemed intent on getting under his skin, “And you owe me more than some lame ass kiss on the cheek!”

Brown eyes grew wide as Fuu emitted a squeal while Mugen suddenly pulled her close, “Mugen! Stop it!”

A resounding slap later, and the rogue sat sulking in a corner, holding a reddened cheek, while Fuu blushed furiously and Hiroshi actually chuckled in amusement, “You two...you really do suit each other, don’t you?”

 

* * *

 

Mugen and Fuu were still bickering as they emerged from the tea house. This was nothing new to those who were familiar with them and, despite elevated volume, Jin and Shino could sense the affection that still held fast between their friends.

The argument fell silent suddenly, a small hand landing on the rogue's shoulder as the pink clad waitress smiled warmly up at him, "Mugen, one more minute. I have someone else to thank."

A subtle nod let her know he understood, his dark gaze following her as she hurried toward Hiroshi's parents. Strange...she was acting like she was trying up loose ends, getting ready to leave Edo behind.

Standing before the parents of her former fiance, Fuu shifted uneasily. These people had granted her home and family, and she had essentially betrayed them. The mother had never really liked her, but they both must hate her now!

With a deep breath for courage, she bowed low at the waist in sincere apology, "Gijouhei-san, I am sorry for what shame I have caused. I truly appreciate the hospitality you have shown me. Please know I never intended to in any way harm Hiroshi-san."

"Fuu-chan," The samurai man put a hand on her shoulder, urging her to rise, "There is no shame in following your heart. Too many fail to recognize this truth."

He shot a glance toward his wife, causing the overbearing woman to cringe before he continued, "And even if you are not marrying my son, I hope you will stil do me the honor of considering me an Otou-san of sorts."

Fuu's face lit up in response, "O-of course! Arigato, Otou-san! Arigato, Okaa-san! I promise to write, make sure Hiroshi-kun remembers! Bye!"

Mugen had expected Fuu to come right back to him so that they could figure out the next step. Clearly he would need to get her stuff back from Hiroshi's place, then whatever Fishface and his broad were up to would be talked about.

But as the waitress grinned like an idiot, waving over her shoulder as she moved away from the samurai family, he was surprised to see her stopping again. This time Fuu was taking time to speak with the tea house lady. If the vagrant didn't know better, he'd think she was saying goodbye.

Which was actually exactly what was happening as she embraced the older woman, quite bold yet, Fuu thought, necessary. She was fighting back tears brought on by a mix of emotions flooding her being as she spoke, "Oba-san, I don't know what to say! You gave me a job, a home...I owe you so much!"

"You want to pay me back?" The proprietor only smiled and tilted her head to indicate Mugen, "Go on! You finally got him, now don't lose him, be happy and have a kid or two that'll give that rogue hell. That'll be my payment!"

Fuu blushed brilliantly at the bluntness of those words. She had been happy enough with Mugen's love, but the concept of conceiving a child and raising it with him...that was beyond her ability to grasp! With his devil may care lifestyle, and her own less than orthodox personality...what a hellspawn they could create. She almost shuddered at the thought.

"Now get going, Fuu-chan! Edo isn't for a man like Mugen, you two need a smaller town." The woman grinned and gave her former employee a subtle push in the vagabond's direction.

After a brief incident of stumbling on her own feet, Fuu glanced over her shoulder at the tea house owner and smiled warmly before hurrying to where Mugen now stood with Jin and Shino. A deep breath was drawn to remember the Edo air by, released as a slow sigh as her friends waited for her to speak, "Alright...I just need to grab a few things that are still at my apartment, then we can g-"

"Oi! Hold it right there!" Mugen cut in just before she could finish her statement, "You ain't gonna leave Edo. This setup's a good one, and-"

"Of course I'm leaving Edo!" This time the waitress cut her love off mid-thought, "If you think you can swoop in here, say you love me, then ditch me...I'm not just going to sit here and play the waiting game, Mugen! If you think for-"

"Geeze, why don't you shut up and think for once instead, woman!" Once more the former pirate stepped in, "Who said anythin' 'bout ditching ya?"

Fuu blinked in confusion, completely caught off guard by the idea of Mugen settling down in one place, "But you-"

"I told ya, I ain't lettin' go," The swordsman grumbled, rubbing his neck at the awkwardly public moment of sentimentality, "You can't believe that?"

"Mugen..." She looked up at him with a sweet expression that spoke volumes of how much his words meant. Soon enough, though, her features shifted slightly. Her small hand lifted to rest on his chest, "I believe you would kill to keep me from harm. I've seen you do it. I believe you want to stay with me here. I do. But I don't believe for a moment that Edo is where you belong. It's so big and busy...something simpler might be nice for awhile. Besides...do you want us living in the same city as Hiroshi-kun?"

Mugen heard her points. He didn't agree with some of them. He'd be fine here, he didn't need simple. At the mention of Hiroshi, his eyes narrowed. That he agreed with. He didn't want Fuu around Junior Samurai. The blaze of jealousy didn't last long, though, as the woman in front of him slid her palm to his scruffy jaw.

"So, let's travel with Jin and Shino. We can stay in their village until the baby comes. After we meet their child, then we can continue on and find our own village to settle in." The waitress smiled so sweetly at Mugen it was hard to refuse. So he didn't. He just gave a nod, sulking a bit that he had been so easily manipulated, "Great! I'll get my stuff and be right back!"

As she merrily skipped off to her apartment, Shino laughed softly, admiring the skill of the rather inexperienced girl. Jin moved to place a hand on Mugen's shoulder, a gesture of solidarity for men who were so devoted they could be manipulated. The action went unappreciated, however, as the pirate glared at the ronin, shrugging the hand away.

 

* * *

 

They were about a day into their journey toward the town where Jin and Shino lived. It wasn't a terribly long trip, but it was taking time because they had to set a pace a pregnant woman could manage.

Time was a strange thing. It could be good or bad, helpful or dangerous, kind or cruel. It was fickle indeed.

For Jin, time was usually passed in contemplation, sorting recent events. Now concern for Shino was added to his thoughts; for though she hadn't really complained, he knew the journey must be difficult in her advanced pregnancy. He also worried the stress of travel might cause the child to come into the world early.

Shino, meanwhile, was still giddy over her friends'freshly forged relationship. Her eyes continuously drifted their way, always wondering what they might be thinking.

Fuu was growing paranoid with time. Did Mugen really care as much as he claimed? Should she make an effort to stick close, or would that annoy him? Then maybe she should give him space. That might make her seem skittish though. What was she supposed to do?

Casting a sidelong glance at the rogue, she saw his face furrowed in concentration. Sighing, the woman wished she knew what was on his mind!

Damn, Mugen hated having too long alone with his thoughts! Sure, the others were there, but they were too fucking quiet! Four-eyes and his woman walked ahead, the pregnant broad glancing back on occasion. Fuu lagged a few paces behind, which irritated him slightly. And the whole time all he could do was think.

Fuu had been expecting to have to jump up and live on the road with him, and when he tried to suggest otherwise, she thought he planned to leave her behind and only visit on occasion. Was it really so hard to trust him to stick around?

Then there was damn fish face and the idea of family. Yeah, Girlie deserved that. But could Mugen be the one to give it to her? Having lived so long as a murderous criminal, never knowing family, never having known real love until Fuu came along...how could he be a husband? A stable provider in a permanent home with a steady job; he'd never even tried to imagine himself there before. That was what she deserved, though. She'd taken care of him, trusted him, loved him even. He sure as hell wasn't going to make her live in dishonor or whatever. And he wasn't gonna be some pansy who let marriage scare him!

"Oi," The lanky man came to an abrupt halt, trying to keep himself from trembling in nervousness. He was Mugen dammit, he didn't get fucking nervous! Not long after he stopped, he felt Fuu bump into his back, apparently having not noticed.

Blinking, she turned her large brown eyes up to meet his gaze. However, she found he was looking everywhere but at her. His jaw was tense, and his muscles quivered beneath the skin. Fuu swallowed a lump of worry, certain she'd already messed up their relationship, "Mugen..."

Not one for planning ahead, the former pirate was panicking as he tried to figure out what he was doing. Just asking was sappy, weird and awkward. But he'd put himself on the spot now! She was staring at him, worried, that injured puppy look on her damn face! A bead of sweat trickled down his brow before and idea suddenly sprang to mind. Make it seem like she'd suggested it! She'd think she'd tricked him. Hah!

"Listen, Fuu," He tried to sound casual, folding his arms behind his head, "Just cuz yer my woman, don't think I'm settlin' down or nothin'. I ain't gettin' hitched, not my style."

Now he just had to wait for her to take the bait and pick a fight. When she insisted on marriage, he'd play for awhile at arguing, then cave.

"I know," Fuu smiled softly, face turned to the ground, "I never expected marriage, Mugen."

"Geeze, if you're gonna be a nag abou- huh?" Eager to get to it over with, the vagrant had rushed into the planned surrender, only to register too late that she'd actually accepted his refusal to marry.

"Mugen?" Fun was confused at his reaction. He looked disappointed, maybe even frustrated.

"Damn, I know I ain't exactly marriage material, but ya gave up awful easy," The former pirate scowled, "Specially stubborn as you get..."

"I didn't say I wouldn't marry you!" Fun glared, hands on hips, "I just know you well enough not to expect it!"

"You think I'd punk out? I ain't a good guy, I got that," Steel eyes hardened as he considered this low view of himself, "I got so much blood on me, there ain't no washing me clean... Dammit, I shouldn't touch ya at all! I sure as hell ain't gonna make ya live like a kept woman!"

Now she was even more confused and, on top of that, an awkward nervousness was setting in. Jin and Shino had stopped, and she knew they could hear. Blushing and fidgeting, she canted her head slightly, "Mugen...I don't-"

"Dammit, Fuu! I'm trying to ask you to fucking marry me!" The ex-pirate snapped in frustration.

For a moment the pink clad woman froze in shock and disbelief. No way had she heard him right! As subtly as possible she pinched her arm, letting out a squeak at the pain it caused.

Mugen was getting nervous at her lack of response when she squeaked unexpectedly. The sound was followed by a giddy cry from the woman as she leaped into his arms, "Yes! Of course!"

The proposal was so unexpected, the sheer joy of her response equally so. Holding her tightly, the rogue kissed Fuu with a tender passion, filling the gesture with gratitude. The pair was vaguely aware of the presence of their other comrades. Shino with her expression of excitement, and Jin who gave a slightly embarrassed grunt as he most likely looked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, a question. I won't change any already written chapters, and I'm going to keep using honorifics. When it comes to Japanese language in general, I will take your answers into consideration for future writing in this trilogy. I'll leave to poll open until at least the end of the month. 
> 
>  
> 
> [Do you, as readers of my SamCham Fanfic Trilogy, like the inclusion of occasional Japanese words? Let me know here.](http://www.poll-maker.com)


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